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WANDEEINGS IN THE 
WESTERN LAND. 



LONDON : 
f.lLBElfl' AND KIVINGTON, I'lilNTERS, 

ST. John's square. 



WANDERINGS IN THE 
WESTERN LAND. 



o-- 



By ArPENDARVES VIVIAN, M.P., F.G.S. 



' Go ye, and look upon that land, 
That far vast land that few behold. 
And none, beholding:, understand ; 
That old, old land, which men call new, 
That land as old as time is old. 

' Go, journey \v'ith the seasons through 
Its wastes, and learn how limiDless, 
How shoreless lie the distances, 
Before you come to question this. 
Or dare to dream what grandeur is." 

Joachim Mii.lee. 




WITH ILLUSTRATIONS FROM ORIGINAL SKETCHES BY MR. ALBERT BIER8TADT AND THE AUTHOR, 



HonOon : 
SAMPSON LOW, MARSTON, SEARLE, & RIVINGTON, 

CROWN BUILDINGS, 183, FLEET STREET. 

1879. 

[-4// rights reserved.^ 



INTEODUCTION. 



In the following pages I have endeavoured to record 
the recollections of a few months' wanderings in 
North America, spent chiefly in " hunting " in the 
Rocky Mountains. My principal objects in making 
the trip were to obtain a thorough change of scene, 
and to see something of a country of which we have 
all heard so much. 

I make no claim to havinsf done or seen more than 
any one else could have done, having the same time 
and means at their disposal, and possessed of the same 
keenness for sport as myself. I believe, however, 
that I was "in luck on the hunt;" at least, I am 
told so by some well able to judge. 

I would endeavour at once to disarm adverse 
criticism, by acknowledging numerous faults, per- 
ceptible even to myself, and by pleading very broken 
leisure for writing. My main object has been to 
describe in a plain, unvarnished manner the lead- 
ing incidents of a short but very enjoyable run to 
regions many parts of which are within easy reach of 
eill. 



vi Iiitrodiiction. 

I must record my sense of the general courtesy 
wliicli I experienced tlirougliout, with scarcely an 
exception ; even the rough western men, the hardy 
sons of the Indian frontier, accustomed from boyhood 
to fighting for existence, were hospitable and generous 
to a degree hard to find in more civilized life. 

I have availed myself of the admirable reports of 
the Surveys of the United States Government, not 
only to confirm my own observations, but to supply 
information when I have been unable from any cause 
to speak from personal experience. 

In conclusion, one word of thanks to my old friend 
and brother sportsman, Lord Aberdare, who most 
promptly and kindly consented to wade through my 
manuscript, and gave me the benefit of his most 
valuable advice. For many of the woodcuts I am 
indebted to my friend Mr. Bierstadt, that true 
delineator of nature's beauties in the Western 
Land, who most courteously placed his original 
oil sketches at my disposal. 

A. PENDARVES VIVIAN. 



7, Belgrave Square, London, 
Jalij, 1879. 



CONTENTS. 



CHAPTER I. 

PAGE 

Voyage out — St. Jobn's, Newfoundland — Inhabitants — 
Country — Sporting — Trade — Mining — Passage to 
Halifax — CapeEace — Prench Islands — Sable Island — 
Halifax : Approach, Situation, Environs, Fortifications, 
Defenders ........ 1 



CHAPTER II. 

Start for the Hunt — Outfitting and Outfit — Railroad Cars 
and Conductors — The Intercolonial System — Canadian 
Forests — Waste by Fires — Causes — Legislation — 
Spring Hill — Coal Mine— New Line — Cumberland 
County — Settlers — Varieties of Timber — Maple Sugar- 
making ......... 14 



CHAPTER III. 

After Bear — My Indian Hunter — Woodcraft — Ferocity of 
the Bear — Our first Camp — Camp-making — Food — 
Sleep— Stillness — Unsuccessful Hunting — The Moose 
— Close Time — Legislation — Cause of Scarcity — Modes 
of Hunting — " Snow-shoe-running " — A successful 
" Creep "— " Calling " and Mosquitoes ... 26 



viii Contents. 

CHAPTEli IV. 

PAGE 

Saint John's, N.B.— The late Fire— Extent— Suffering- 
Destruction of Property — The Night following — Eelief 
— Incidents — Energy of Inhabitants — The St. John's 
Eiver — Eeminiscences ofthe Past— Eredericton Cathe- 
dral — Houses of Representatives — Members — Business 
— The Lumber Trade and Lumber Men ... 42 



CHAPTER V. 

Start for our canoeing Trip — Indian Birchbark Canoes — 
Disaster — Across to the Head-waters of the Miramichi 
— Glashville — Hardships of its early Settlers — Gray's 
Mill — McEwing's — Afloat — Beaver — Bear Incident — 
Camp-making in the Dark — Slow Progress — Shoalness 
of Water — Signboard —Thunderstorm — A miserable 
Night — Old Gabe — Capsized — Construction of Canoes 
— Lake Miramichi — A charming Camp — "Moose call- 
ing " — " Caribou Creeping " — A successful Stalk — A 
grand Beast — The Caribou — Two Varieties — Colour — 
Habits— Scarcity — En route again — Daily Life — 
Beauty of Banks — Burnt Hill — Fishing — Mosquitoes 
— Blackflies —Remedies — Picnic Party — Boiestovvn — 
Rod-fishing — The " Great Miramichi Eire " — Extent 
and Sufferings — Indian Town — Shooting a Rapid — 
Renous— AVhite trout Eishing — Waste of Timber — 
Lumber-men — Newcastle — End of Canoe Trip . . 57 



CHAPTER VI. 

On the Rail — Quebec— Situation — History — Wolfe's Vic- 
tory — Citadel — Garrison — Falls of Montmorency — 
Afloat again — Montreal — The Lachine Rapids — 
Toronto— Niagara — The Falls and Surroundings — A 
perilous Voyage— Fascination of the Locality . . 83 



CHAPTER VI r. 

Hamilton — Detroit— Chicago --Population — Trade — Away 
again — Across tlie Continent — Omaha — Buildings — 



Contents. ix 



PAGE 



Indians — Population — " Then Westward ho ! " — The 
Union Pacific Eailroad — History and Construction — 
The Prairie — The Old Emigrant lioad — Early Way- 
farers — " Bones that bleach in the Sunshine " — Indian 
Attacks — Train Eobbery — Cattle — Their Owners and 
Attendants — The Prairie Dog — Cheyenne — History — • 
" Stage tapping "^ — The Blackhills of Dakotah — Indians 
and their Eeservatious — The Denver Pacific Line — 
Greely — Denver. . . . . . . .100 



CHAPTER VIII. 

Eu route for Estes Park — Golden — Mining and Smelting — 
Lignitic formation — Metalliferous Lodes— Mr. Hill's 
AVorks — Miners and their Wages — Boulder City — The 
Caribou Lode — Longmount — Its Disagreeables — To 
Estes Park— Beauty of Scenery — The Park — Bad Luck 
— Griffith Evans — Unwelcome Visitors — The Skunk 
War — Peculiarities of the Enemy — Cold Weather — 
Unsuccessful Hunting — Camps in Horse-Shoe Park — 
Attempts to cross the Eange — The Black Canon — 
Storm — A high Camp — Poor Prospects — "A Bear, by 
Jove ! " — A Miss — A long Chase — Success at last — 
'■ Ursus ferox " — Driven back — More storming — Start 
for Ivock Creek — Fogg's — jNTariauna — Off the Track — 
Fort Collins — La Porte — Jim Baker — Character and 
"Grit." 12G 



CHAPTER IX. 

Geology — Of the Mountains, Foothills, and Prairies 
— Fertility — Irrigation — Water Supply — Herds of 
Cattle— A Load of Deer— The Fork's Hotel— The Old 
Cherokee Trail — Laramie Plain — Singenborger 
■ Kanche — The Laramie River — A shooting Case — 
" Wild Bill " — Crossing the Divide — Antelope — A 
Kill — The Prong-horn — Old Man Pinkham's — A Day's 



Contents. 



PAGE 



Hunting — Success — A Timber Wolf — Their Cunning 
— A Bear story — North Park — Physical and Geo- 
logical — Massacre on Independence Mountains — Bad 
Storm— A "Wolverine 159 



CHAPTEE X. 

L.'s departure — After Elk — On the track — A Shot — " He's 
hit" — A fruitless hunt — A deserted Camp — Loneli- 
ness — Move Camp — A Porcupine — " Ned's " Punish- 
ment — Another Move — "Played out" — A hunter's 
Cabin — Its Occupants — A strange Night — Curly 
Eogers — A Wapiti's " roar " — A fine Sight — A " boss 
bull"— The Stalk— Bad Luck— A Trudge Home- 
Loss of Ponies — -Unsuccessful Tracking — A severe 
Day — Bear Trap — Wapiti again — Meat at last — After 
Bulls — A View — Too late — Eide Home — Touched 
vrith the Erost — At the Bulls again — A successful 
Stalk — "A right and left" — A fine Head — A mys- 
terious Camp-fire — Another Beast — Packing to Camp 
— Danger from Snow — " On the Move " — " Whiskey 
Jacks"— Awful Day— The Eose Eamily— The "Old 
Man's" again — The AVapiti— Change of Outfit — Up 
the Park — Solitary Hunt— Successful Issue — Search 
for Quarters — Night in a Waggon — The Indian Ques- 
tion ISO 



CHAPTER XI. 

The Log Cabin — Eeturn to Pinkham's — Encampment on 
the Platte — More Wapiti — Bad Hunting — Disagree- 
able Adventure — Independence Mountain — The 
deserted Cabin — Sad History — After Bison — 
"Drummer" — A spoiled Stalk — No Luck — The 
Mountain Bison — Magnificent Scenery — Doleful Prog- 
nostications — Encouraging Gossip — " Back tracks " — ■ 
Indian Experiences — " Bill Wales " — Old Quarters 
—On the Move— A Puma's " Cache "—The Beast 
himself — Excitiner Hunt — " He's our meat "^ — Great 



Contents. xi 



joy— A severe Walk — On Beaver Creek — A wounded 
Wapiti — " Curly's " Misbehaviour — Awful Weather — 
A red-letter Day — Almost a Tragedy — Hunting for 
" Griff" — N'ed's "Sport" — Men's amusement — Cloth- 
ing — Stimulants — A welcome Return .... 220 



CHAPTER XII. 

Move of Camp — " Grand Encampment" — A curious Cha- 
racter — An improved Climate — More Antelope — -After 
Sheep — No Luck — Jack Watkins — Cold Weather — 
Snow Blindness — Sage Hens — A disagreeable Incident 
— The Mountain Sheep or Big Horn — Wild Scenery 
— Austin's — A hungry Coyote — More Storming — 
Griflfs Tumble — An Altercation — Awkward Position 
— A fine Canon — Near Game — A "Sight" at last — 
Bad Luck— " Consolation Steaks" — A Bear story — 
A Mountain Lion's Den — On the Move — Sage Bush 
— An Adventure — A curious Shakedown — Branding 
Cattle — Wyoming Fertility — Tim Foley — A solitary 
Eide — A Ke-union — Independence Rock — Indians — 
The Sioux — Arrapahoes and Utes .... 252 

CHAPTER XIII. 

After Buftalo — An Indian Trail — " After hair " — A Scare 
— A family Party — ^Bad Advice — " Horse Creek " 
Camp — The Rattlesnake Eauge — " Buffaloes" — A good 
Stalk — " Right and left " — True Bronchos — Spoiled 
Meat— More Buffalo — An exciting day — The Buffiilo 
— Ferocity — Modes of hunting — Scarcity — Its causes 
— Wanton Slaughter and sinful Waste — Probable Ex- 
tinction — Legislation ...... 282 

CHAPTER XIV. 

Back for the Sweet-water— Bad camp — An Alkali Lake — 
Loss of Stock — Planted — A Broncho hanged — A 
" Cache " — After Sheep — A disagreeable Adventure — 
"Lost" — A hard Time — A Welcome Outline — Back 
once more — Foot-note . . . . . .301 



xii Contents, 



CHAPTER XY. 

Sheep once more — New Companions— George Ferries — A 
good Eanche — Hopes of Sport — A Stalker's get-up — 
An exciting Day — The " heart-shaped " Tracks — A 
Eace with the sheep — Beaten — " Creeping the Ledges " 
— A Plair-trigger — My last Chance gone — Indepen- 
dence Eock again — A lucky Lift — Sand Creek — The 
Perries Mines — To Eawlings — Cheery Companions — 
Brown's Canon — ^A "one-horse" Town — Topography 
of the Western Country — Train Life — The Con- 
tinental Divide — Green Eiver — Evanston — Lignite: 
its Geological Position — Utah — Echo and Weber 
Canons — Ogden — Shoshone Indians — Humboldt 
County — Battle Mountain — Summit of the Sierra — 
Beautiful Scenery — The American Eiver — The AVes- 
tern Slope — Sacramento — San Francisco — Beautiful 
Position— The Palace Hotel— The Seal Eocks— 
Unique Sight— The Streets— The Hoodlum— The 
Chinese Question — Climate — Drainage — The Eain- 
fall— California as a Mining State — Bullion Produc- 
tion — Agriculture — Fertility — Exportation— AVool — 
Wine — Fish — Deer — Small game — Future. . . 317 



CHAPTER XVI. 

Trip to the Tosemite— Position of the Valley — Bad Time of 
Year — Merced — Miserable Conveyance — Horaitos — 
Gold Mining — Different Systems — "Eebellious" Ores 
— Geological Occurrence of gold Veins — The Foothills 
of the Sierra Nevada — Nature's Garden — The Mari- 
posa Estate — A curious History—" Making time " — 
" More haste, worse speed" — A Disaster — A crowded 
" House " — " A shooting case " — American Law-courts 
— System of Judge-making — Its Eesults . . . 3i8 



CHAPTEE XVI I. 

Start from Mariposa — Vexatious Delays — Eoute — Plite's 
Mine — A romantic Story — Change of Vegetation — 
Dr. Brewer's Eeport — A lovely Evening— Clarke's 



Contents. xiii 



PAGE 



Eanclie — Late arrival — The Mariposa Big Trees — Na- 
ture's Arboretum — Colossal Growths — " Cockney " 
Practices — Probable Age- — Ride into the Valley — 
Snow once more — A lucky Shot — My Bag — Better 
Weather — Inspiration Point — Magnificent View — 
"Quite a stone "—The Valley— Liedig's Hotel— A 
doubtful Pleasure — The Yoseniite Fall — Back Tracks 
— Frisco once more ....... 30(5 



CHAPTEE XVIIT. 

A Chapter on Mining — Off for the Comstock — The Carson 
Valley — Virginia City — The " Boss of the Bonauza " — 
The Comstock Ledge — General Character — The Con- 
solidated Virginia and California Mines — Excessive 
Heat — Impurity of Water — Extensive Output — Great 
value — Miners — Their AVages — Cost of Living — Cor- 
nish-men — The Irish Element — A determined Fenian 
— "Shrewd withal" — Boring Machines — Blasting — 
Timbering — Wonderful Consumption — " Flumes " — 
Cost of Fuel — The Ore — Assay Contents — Cost of 
" getting "— After-treatment — Stamping — Amalgama- 
tion — Eefining — Discovery of Quicksilver — Bullion 
Production — Virginia Consolidated and California 
Mine Accounts — Balance Sheets — Management^ — The 
Sutro Tunnel — Objects — Difficulties — Future Value — 
Prospects — Baron Eiclitbofen — The Heat Question . 379 



CHAPTEE XIX. 

Hurried Movements — The Eureka District— The Ore and 
its Treatment — Ogden — Utah — The Wahsatch Moun- 
tains — The "Great Basin" — Geology — Salt Lake City 
— The Mormons — Thtir Habitations — Polygamy — The 
Governor's Message — Newspaper Comment — Camp 
Douglas — The United States Army — The Indian 
Bureau — The Great Salt Lake — The Oquirrh Moun- 
tains — The Mineral Veins of Utah— The Emma Mine 
— Professor Hayden's Eeport — Other Mines — Cha- 
racter of the Ores — Cornish Miners — Non-observance 
of the Sabbath — A lamentable Blemish . . . 397 



xiv Contents. 

PAGE 

CHAPTEE XX. 

" Homeward bound " — A beauteous Morn — Train Life again 
— Evanston — Snow-ploughs — " Clearing the course " 
— " Quite seared like " — Fellow-travellers — An unfor- 
tunate "Road-agent" — A mining Prospector — The 
Black Hills — Their Geology— The Ores -Cost of 
Treatment— The Crops of Illinois — An oyster Mer- 
chant — His Trade — Niagara — Arctic Desolation — 
Eochester — " A White Elephant " — An enthusiastic 
Naturalist — New York — A flying Visit — " On the 
Ocean AVave " — Luxurious Voyaging — A quick Eun 
— Our Log — Queenstown once more — A quiet Sea — 
An English Fog — Familiar Haunts — Satisfied withal . 417 



LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. 



FULL-PAGE ENGRAVINGS. 

1. A Mountain Lion or Puma 

2. In Estes Park 

3. AVapiti on the Prairie 

4. A Sioux Camp near Laramie Peak 

5. In North Park 

6. The Mountain Sheep 

7. A Mountain Eange with black-tailed Deer 

8. The Cathedral Rocks in the Toseraite . 



Frontispiece 
To face 137 
207 
213 
229 
261 
305 
376 



SMALLER ENGRAVINGS. 

0. "Good-bye." The old Head of Kinsale . . . 1 

10. Entrance to St. John's, Newfoundland .... 3 

11. Cuckold's Head, Newfoundland 6 

12. The North-West Arm, Halifax 11 

13. Out of my Window— Halifax 13 

14. A dead Moose 38 

15. A Micmac Wigwam, Nova Scotia .... 41 

16. Lumber Boats and Raft on the St. John's River . . 49 

17. A Steamer towing Lumber ...... 56 

18. On the Miramichi 57 

19. Our Camp on Lake Miramichi . . . . . Q>Q 

20. A Caribou head 71 

21. Long's Peak, Estes Park 127 

22. The Black Canon 138 



XVI 



List of IlltistnitioJis, 



NO. 






PAGE 


23. Our Camp in Horseshoe Park ..... 145 


24. A Sheep Eoek 






146 


25. A Eange Grizzly ..... 






158 


26. The prong-horned Antelope 






169 


27. A AVapiti " roaring " . 






180 


28. " My first Wapiti " . . . . 






198 


29. A " Eight and Left " . 






201 


30. A Scotch Eed Deer head . 






201 


31. A AYapiti feeding .... 






206 


32. " The Miner's last Abode " . 






225 


33. Camping-ground near the frozen Platte 






256 


34. A Canon of the Platte 






. 267 


35. Head of a Bull Buffalo 






292 


36. Camp in the Sweet-water Country 






301 


37. The Seal Eocks near the Golden Gate, San Francisco 


334 



MAPS. 



1. Parts of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, with 

route marked by red line ..... 1 

2. Geological Map of part of the AVestern Land . . 1 

3. Block Map of From Denver to Estes Park, &c. . . 127 



AVANDERINGS IN THE WESTERN LAND. 




"good-bye." the old head of KINSAtE. 

Fi-um a SMch hi A. P. V. 



CHAPTER I. 



PER MARE PER TERRA]\I. 



Voyage out — St. John's, Newfoundland — Inhabitants — Country — 
Sporting — Trade — Mining — Passage to Halifax — Cape Eace — 
French Islands — Sable Island — Halifax : Approach, Situation, 
Environs, Fortifications, Defenders. 

After a prosperous and uneventful voyage of six 
days two-aud-a-lialf hours from Liverpool, we ran 
through the narrow entrance into the harbour of 



2 IVandcrings in the Western Land. 

St. John's, Newfoundland, on the dull and gloomy 
evening of the 14th August, 1877. The voyage 
had been, on the whole, very prosperous. Our ship, 
the " Caspian," of the Allan Line, had met with 
some knocking about at the very commencement, 
in encountering, between Liverpool and Queenstown, 
what is meteorologically noted as a " moderate 
gale," but after this, for the remainder of the 
voyage, had had no reason to complain ; in fact, so 
well had the elements behaved, that, although a slow 
boat, she had been able to average about 290 knots 
per twenty -four hours. We, her passengers, had 
undergone the wearisome routine of daily life on 
board ship with as many comforts and as few dis- 
agreeables as were possible. We had ate and slept 
with regularity, walked or tried to walk the deck 
daily, watched the heaving of the log, speculated on 
seeing icebergs, and discussed our future plans ad 
nauseam. But now all was over, for here we were, 
going to set our sea legs once more on mother earth ; 
some of us, it is true, only for a few hours, but 
others had reached their final haven, and I cannot 
help confessing that I envied them much. Such a 
quaint little harbour as this is, which we have 
squeezed into through the narrowest of entrances, 
formed by a rent in the granite cliffs ; how it 
was ever discovered must always be a matter for 
wonder. It must be difficult navigation to accom- 
plish, but when once in, there appeared to be perfect 
shelter from every quarter. About two years ago 
the entrance got blocked by an iceberg, which had 
to be blown up with powder before a free passage 
could be re-established. The whole place has a 
West Highland look about it; but the odour is pecu- 



SL yohus, NcivfoHiidlaud. 3 

liar, tlmnks to the cod and seal fisheries, which are 
the staple trades of the place. 




ENTRANCE TO ST. JOHN S, NEWFOUNDLAND. 

From a Sketch h;i A. P. V. 

The little town, consisting chiefly of wooden houses, 
is built on the side of the hill facing the harbour; the 
Roman Catholic cathedral and Government House 
being perhaps the two most conspicuous edifices. 
The present Governor is Sir John Glover, V.C., of 
Ashantee reputation, a most hospitable and popular 
ruler. The Government House possesses no archi- 
tectural beauty nor anything of interest, beyond a 
fine collection of cariboo antlers from the interior 
of the island, amongst which is a great curiosity, 
namely, two pairs of antlers locked so firmly to- 
gether that they cannot be separated, the poor 
beasts having evidently got entangled in fighting 
and so perished by starvation. 

Newfoundland, with a population of over 200,000, 
is still a separate colony of Great Britain, having 

D 2 



lVa7ide7ino's in the Western Land. 



^> 



refused to join the newly-formed Dominion of 
Canada, fear of an increased taxation being, I be- 
lieve, the principal reason against amalgamation. It 
possesses no military of any sort ; a police force of 
seventy-eight foot and six mounted constables is 
sufficient to maintain order. A few years ago, on 
the occasion of an Irish riot, the six mounted con- 
stables did excellent service in dispersing the rioters 
by repeated charges on the ice of the frozen harbour, 
since which it has been an annual motion of the 
irreconcilables in the House of Representatives to 
reduce the vote by the amount required for their 
maintenance, but hitherto without success. The 
inhabitants, as a rule, are said to be most loyal to 
the British crown, and in this respect resemble the 
rest of the British North Americans. 

The general appearance of the country at a little 
distance from St. John's is very like some parts 
of the Highlands of Scotland. There is the same 
sort of moorlands, with here and there bare patches 
of rock cropping up through the wild herbage. 
Lower down and nearer the town cultivated plots 
abound, in the midst of which, and surrounded with 
clumps of spruce and birch, nestle snug-looking 
homesteads and cottages. The interior of the 
island is said to be barren and unproductive and 
but very thinly inhabited, most of the aborigines 
having migrated northward towards the sea-coast. 

I was told that, with proper guides, good cariboo 
hunting can be obtained, but that it is a difficult 
country to pass through. Much of the travelling 
must be done in canoes, which have, together with 
the stores, to be "portaged" by Indians between 
the different waters. Wolves abound in parts, and 



Newfotmdland — Sport — Dogs. 5 

in consequence of the severe cold in these northern 
latitudes, their fur greatly surpasses in quality that 
of the same animal on the American continent. 

The black bear is also to be found, but is far 
more common in Labrador, and on Anticosti, where 
they are reported to be very numerous. There are 
no moose on the island, but attempts are now being 
made to introduce them. 

At the proper seasons of the year the gunner 
may find himself at home here. Tlie so-called 
partridge — which in habits and appearance resem- 
bles much more the grey hen than any European 
partridge — is very plentiful. When disturbed off 
the ground, this bird generally takes to a tree, from 
the branches of which it can be shot down by the 
merest tyro. But, besides this doubtful sport, the 
lover of the shot-gun can get most excellent goose 
and duck-shooting on the inland waters, which har- 
bour many varieties of the natatores. 

For those who care about fishing, I am told that 
salmon abound in some of the rivers, but that there 
is at present great difficulty in getting to many of 
the most favoured spots, on account of their dis- 
tances from any inhabited localities or roads. But 
this is all hearsay, as I had no opportunity of test- 
ing the accuracy of my information by any personal 
experience. 

In Newfoundland I naturally expected to see in 
great perfection the far-famed Newfoundland dog, 
but in that I was doomed to disappointment. It is 
said that the pure breed is as rare here as it is 
in England. Quantities of black animals there are, 
no doubt, running about the streets of St. John's ; 
but " a.11 is not coal that's black." My local infor- 



6 Wandcriuos in the Western Land. 

mant — an Irishman — who seemed to be a con- 
7ioisseur in dogs, said one of the characteristics of 
the true breed is a web between the toes. They are 
now very valuable, and are becoming more so. I 
understand as much as 30/. has been given for a 
thoroughbred dog. 

An import of Newfoundland of no mean merit is 
port wine. This trade has been carried on direct 
with Portugal for many years, the wine being sent in 
exchange for the dried cod-fish, which is in much 
request in that Roman CathoUc country. It is 
curious that the severity of this climate seems to suit 
the wine, and that it rather gains than loses in 
quality by being frozen. Good port can be pur- 
chased at the time I write for about 147. per quarter 
cask in bond here, a price which, considering the 
quality, can scarcely be said to be exorbitant. 

Our ship got out the Newfoundland portion of 
her caro^o during- the niorht. The rattliuQ- of the 
steam cranes did not conduce to refreshing sleep, 
notwithstanding that the operations were carried on 
with as little noise as circumstances would allow. 
The following forenoon we were again under way, 
steaming steadily southward towards Cape Race. 
That part of the coast near St. John's is very fine. 
Bluff headlands of granite and Killas slate stand out 
grandly into the sea, reminding me much of the 
wave- worn front of old Cornwall. As in the latter 
country, there are here also great mineral deposits, 
and mines of considerable reputation are being 
busily worked at Betts Cove, on the north-eastern 
coast of the island, where a rich yellow copper ore 
is being shipped, most of it across the ocean to 
Swansea in South Wales. I should have been glad 



Nezvfouudland — Coast — Cape Race. y 

to liave visited these mines, but the communication 
with St. John's is very irreguhar and uncertain, and 



CUCKOLD S HEAD. THE COAST OF NEWFOUNDLAND. 

From a Sketch h,/ A P. V. 

the expedition would have taken far more time than 
I could well have spared. 

After leaving St. John's we had a smooth time of 
it, and were able thoroughly to enjoy this portion of 
the voyage. We passed a good many fishing and 
coasting craft, generally of the regular American 
fore-and-aft rig, with sails as white as a yacht's. 
In the afternoon we were abreast of the far-famed 
but unimposing Cape Race, eighty-six nautical miles 
from St. John's. In old days the Liverpool and 
New York mail steamers were wont to make this 
headland, and, in order to save the loss of time in 
going into St. John's, used to throw the mails 
overboard in a water-tight tin case, a gun being 
fired from the ship to attract the notice of those on 
shore. A reward of ten shillings was paid to the 



8 IVandcj'ings in the Western Land. 

hardy fishermen by the shore authorities for each 
case deUvered to them ; and, wonderful to relate, 
very few were ever lost. Nowadays railroads 
and telegraph cables have changed all this, and the 
New York liners pass far away to the southward, 
giving this often fog-hidden headland a very wide 
berth. The coast itself is low, having gradually 
lessened in height as we came southwards. The 
cliffs are covered with a short stubby undergrowth, 
apparently a sort of dwarf pine, and no trees of any 
size seem to grow near the coast. 

From Cape Race the coast bends away to the 
west and north, towards Cape St. Mary and the 
Gulf of St. Lawrence. On this south-west coast 
are many French settlers, with certain peculiar rights 
as to fishing, &c., which are likely to require before 
very long the attention of the two Governments. 
Not very far from here are the very small islands of 
Miquelon and St. Pierre, the last footholds in these 
parts left to France by the Quebec and other treaties. 

The following afternoon we were about fifty miles 
north of that curious spot on the ocean, " Sable 
Island," a low flat bank of sand (hence the name) 
heaved up from the bed of the ocean. It is situated 
off the coast of Nova Scotia, and is about 220 miles 
east-south-east of Halifax. Its westernmost end is 
in N. lat. 48° 56'; W. long. 60" 71'; and its eastern 
end N. lat. 43° 59'; W. long. 59° 42'. It is about 
50 miles in length, from end to end, with bars of 
sand running out for 16 miles on the north-western, 
and 28 miles on the other end ; both bars are from 
1 mile to\\ miles in width. On these bars a most 
fearful sea breaks in bad weather. As a dreadful 
proof of the dangers of this bank, two hundred lives 
are said to have been lost here in one year.^. No 



Sable Island — Approach to Halifax. 9 

shrub or tree grows on the island, only bent grass, 
with some cranberry and whortleberry bushes. One 
of the sand-hills on it is 100 feet in heis^ht. This 
curious storm-swept island was first colonized by 
forty French convicts, who were landed on it in 
] 598 by the Marquis de la Roche, and who would 
have been starved had it not been for some sheep 
which happened to be thrown ashore from a vessel. 
In old days, before it was well lighted, many a 
terrible wreck used to occur on this inhospitable 
shore, and starvation generally awaited the poor 
unfortunate seamen who escaped the fearful surf. 
The authorities endeavoured to lessen such horrors 
by turning out a few cattle on the island. They 
thrived, and did well on the scanty herbage ; but 
such is the greed for filthy lucre that scoundrels 
used to land from vessels for the purpose of killing 
and carrying away this provision for the shipwrecked, 
and in this way the stock has disappeared. 

The present inhabitants of the island are the 
lighthouse-keepers and their famihes, and, ciu*ious 
to relate, some wild horses. These latter are sup- 
posed to be the descendants of some Spanish horses 
cast ashore very many years ago. They subsist on 
the scanty sand-grass, and obtain water by pawing 
up the sand with their fore feet. Occasionally 
parties land and capture some for the purposes of 
sale. A more uninviting abode than this island can 
scarcely be conceived, and one can well imagine the 
intense horror with which it used to be regarded by 
the ancient mariner. Now, although well lighted, 
the universal instructions to all captains are to give 
it a very wide berth. 

A nis^ht's steamino^ brougfht us into the harbour 
of Halifax, the approach to which is very pleasing. 



lo Wanderings in the Western Land. 

The western entrance, up wliieli we sailed, and 
wliicli is the only one for large vessels, is well 
protected by forts on both shores, and on the 
McNab and George Islands. The former of these 
divides the western from the eastern entrance. 
The forts mount very heavy guns of the most 
modern pattern, and are manned by English 
artillerymen, but the complement is said to be 
far short of what would be required to work the 
guns. This matter should have the attention 
of our Government ; for it is of national impor- 
tance that this, our only naval station, and now the 
only garrison of English troops in North America, 
should be in such a condition that in time of war it 
should be able to afford shelter and security to our 
imperial and mercantile marine. If it is worth 
holding at all, it is worth holding w^ell, and every- 
thing: should be done to make it a secure haven for 
ourselves and an object of terror to an aggressor — a 
haven to which, in time of war, our merchantmen 
could run for safety, where our war vessels could 
refit in security, and whence they could issue at any 
time to harass the enemies' shipping, blockade their 
ports, or descend on their vulnerable positions. 

The so-called McNab Island, derives its name 
from an old fisherman, who, having been seized 
outside the harbour by the French, in one of the 
expeditions of by-gone days, and forced to pilot 
their squadron into Halifax, took the opportunity of 
the darkness of night to steer them into what is 
now termed the north-west arm of the harbour. 
Here the water is very shallow, and the vessels soon 
grounded. History does not say how the old salt 
himself escaped, or, indeed, whether he escaped at 
all ; but the result of his piloting to the French was 



Halifax — A mcricau Jiofcls. 



1 1 



the destruction of their squadron, and to himself, or 
his family, the gift from the British Government of 
that important island which now bears his name. 




r~ '■'m^ 



THE ^•ORT^-^YEST AR.M, HALIFAX, N.S. 

From a Sk-etck hy A. P. V. 



Halifax is a picturesque town, situated on the 
side of a hill overlooking the harbour, on the summit 
of which is the well-known citadel. It is old for 
America, having been founded about the year 1750. 

Amongst other novelties to be encountered on 
first landing in America, are the peculiarities of the 
hotel life. The system is, as it were, en pension, so 
man}^ dollars per day (generally from $3.50 to $5.50 
— 14,9. to 22s.) for rooms and food. The meals 
take place at fixed times, between stated hours ; 
they are served at separate little tables, the waiters 
being usually coloured men. The functions of the 
various officials do not quite coincide with what they 
are with us. As for instance, I found out on my 
very first morning that brushing clothes does not 
constitute part of the duties of the individual 



12 Wandei'-inss in the Western Land. 



^> 



answering to our " boots." I had rung my bell 
several times with no effect, when at last a. very 
small boy appeared. I told him, perhaps rather 
shortly, to take my clothes down to be brushed ; he 
and the clothes quickly disappeared, but there was 
no reappearance of either. I again had recourse to 
the bell, and at last the boy again presented him- 
self, but without the clothes. On my demanding an 
explanation of their whereabouts, he said no one 
would brush them " as the weather was too hot." I 
apologized for having asked for such a service in 
such trying weather, and was only too glad to get 
them back and be released from my bedroom in an 
unbrushed condition. I found out that one is ex- 
pected to have them brushed, or rather whisked over 
in situ, by the individual who takes the hats, at the 
entrance to the salle a manger. 

The weather was somewhat hot, but not intoler- 
ably so — in fact, very enjoyable. The heat does 
not, however, last long at this time of year — the 
latter end of August — and is soon succeeded by the 
fresh " Fall " weather. 

In the environs there are many very beautiful and 
varied drives and walks. Some of the most popular 
are along the Bedford Basin ; through the Park to 
the North West Arm ; from Dartmouth on the other 
side of the harbour, round by some lovely fresh- 
water lakes, &c., &c. Melville Island is worth a 
visit ; it is situated down the harbour, not far from 
the North West Arm, and is now used as a Military 
Prison. When we were there, about fifty prisoners 
were employed in breaking stones for the roads. 
The stones were doubtless necessary, but could be 
obtained from inferior labour, and it seemed as if 
such a mass of men would have been better employed 



Halifax — Environs — Dcjcnccs. i 3 

in erecting the forts which, I am told, have been 
decided npon, but which are still in the future. 
When these works are finished and armed, then 
comes the all-important question of manning them 
efficiently. The Dominion artillerymen are, I believe, 
good, but are far too few in number, and, moreover, 
at present, have not been drilled to work our new 
and improved ordnance. As for our own Royal 
Artillery, but few probably could be spared in time 
of war from our more important European positions. 
I am told, however, that the native fisherman is the 
finest raw material possible. During that portion of 
the year when he could not carry on his natural calling, 
he would no doubt be willing, for a very small remu- 
neration, to put himself through a course of training. 
Being strong and very hardy, intelligent and keen- 
sighted, he would soon render himself an effective 
gunner, and in the hour of need could be relied on as 
a sturdy defender, not only of those forts which now 
exist, but of those which are to be erected hereafter. 




OUT OF MY WINDOW AT HALIFAX, N.S. 

From a Sketch by A. P. V. 



CHAPTER 11. 

" '111 is is the forest prinicvul. The murmuring pines and tlie hem 
locks, 
Eearded with moss, and in garments green, indistinct in tlie 

twilight, 
Stand like Druids of eld, Avith voices sad and prophetic. 
Stand like harpers hoar, with beards that rest on their bosom." 

Lonr/felloii/s " Evanrjeline." 

Start for the Hunt — Outfitting and Outfit — Eailroad Cars and 
Conductors — The Intercolonial System — Canadian Forests — 
Waste by Fires — Causes — Legislation — Spring Hill — Coal 
Mine — New Line — Cumberland County — Settlers — Varieties 
of Timber — Maple and Sugar jNIaking. 

I HAD spent nearly a week very pleasantly in Halifax, 
when one day I got a telegram from my brother-in- 
law, Lord Dunraven, to say he had landed at New 
York, and that if there were bears in the province, 
he would come up for a " hunt." This led to an 
Indian, who had been with him on a former occasion, 
being telegraphed for, to give his opinion on our 
bear prospects ; and his opinion was so favourable 
that an answer was sent to D. to come up " right 
away," and that I would meet him with the Indian 
hunter and my Scotch stalker, at a station called 
Spring Hill, on the Intercolonial Railway, and bring 
with me tents, camp-utensils, and sufficient stores 
for a fortnight's hunt. 



Pirparatious for the hnnl. 15 

As I had never done any real " cainping-out," I 
was perfectly ignorant as to what sort of stores 
were requh^ed, as well as the quantity of each 
necessary. All this was, however, made very easy 
to me through the kindness of Col. Gierke — a very 
■old campaigner — and the general knowledge of 
Scott, grocer and outfitter. Colonel Gierke, at D.'s 
request, had kindly procured for me an excellent 
tent from Hemmenway, New York, which turned 
out so good, that after several months' experience, I 
had no fault to find with it. It remained perfectly 
water-tight to the end of my campaign (except where 
holes had been torn), and stood the rough usage it 
was subjected to in a most exemplary manner. It 
was not furnished with poles, which for use in 
Canada was no disadvantage, but for hunting on 
the plains of the Rocky Mountains certainly ought 
to be forthcoming, and these should be so arranged 
as to pack with the tent. If winter weather is to be 
encountered, a small stove should also be provided, 
when a hole for passing the stove-pipe through, 
must be made in the canvas. Stoves of all sorts 
are quite a sj)pdalite. of America, and the small tent 
and cooking-stove is no exception to their general 
excellence. 

But to return to my preparations for my first 
camp out. All the necessaries being provided for 
me, nothing devolved upon my own responsibility 
but the luxuries ; these consisted of a few reindeers' 
tongues, cans of potted soup, a little preserved milk 
(which, by the way, nearly always leaked out and 
bedaubed other things), and a few tins of preserved 
or " canned " salmon. The third day found me 
ready and keen to make a start. 



1 6 ]]anderings in the ]]^csfcrn Land. 

My "out-fit" (as a party is termed in America) 
on starting from Halifax consisted of myself and 
Sandie Macdonald, a true Highlander and a good 
stalker, of Glengarry birtli ; " Ned," a sliort-baired 
colley dog, hailing from Glen Nevis, and reported to 
be a first-class deer tracker ; and an Irish water- 
spaniel called " Sailor," who had already seen great 
sport with me on the Nile, and in Albania and 
Greece, and who accompanied me now in case of my 
having any duck or prairie-fowl shooting. This was 
a somewhat large party to move about by train, in 
addition to the stores and other imjyedimenta, but as 
I had been kindly given a general letter of intro- 
duction by a Canadian railway swell, or, as he 
would be termed here, a railway " boss," my travel- 
ling was made very easy. I may here say that, 
throughout my travels, I met with the greatest 
civility from all ofiicials, the only exception being 
from certain jacks-in-ofiice, in the shape of the 
baggage-men on the Union Pacific Railroad, who 
on more than one occasion annoyed me much about 
my guns. It appeared that these gentry are allowed 
to extract, as a perquisite and part payment of 
their services, so much for each gun from any 
passenger having such an article amongst his 
baggage. As may be supposed, this leads to much 
questioning on the part of these worthies, as to first, 
whether you have any, and secondly, how many guns 
you have in your baggage. I have not met with 
such a practice in any of my other wanderings, and 
I would submit that such a way of partly paying 
their employes is scarcely worthy of a great railway 
company. 

To return to my present journey, however. Every- 



American Railway Travelling. 17 

thing was made as sraootli and agreeable as possible, 
and without any vexatious haggling or bother of any 
sort or kind, I found myself seated in one of the 
long cars of the Intercolonial Eailway, bound for 
the happy hunting-gi^ounds of the Parsborough 
country. It is unnecessary to dwell upon the pecu- 
liarities of American railway travelling, as they have 
been so often and so well described, and are well- 
known to many from personal experience. 

The gi'eat difference in the appearance and arrange- 
ment of the cars or carriages from our own, strikes 
an Englishman at once. These are usually about 
sixty feet long, with a passage down the centre, 
ha^T.ng a succession of two seats together, on each 
side. They are carried on four pairs of small bogie- 
wheels, two pairs at each end. The locomotive is 
remarkable to our eyes from the well-known bell- 
mouthed smoke funnel, and the useful " cow- 
catcher," like a great plouglishare, protruding in front 
of the wheels. The ease of travelling varies much on 
different lines. On this it was smooth and steady, but 
the pace of even the fastest passenger trains is not 
great, seldom exceeding twenty-eight miles an hour. 

The conductor is the great personage on an 
American railway. His authority is paramount, 
and his terse order, " All on board," must be 
obeyed " right away," or the lagging passenger will 
assuredly find himself left behind. To be sure, 
unless the train has actually got well away, he can 
generally get on to the last car, and pass through 
the central passage into his own car ; but should he 
be too late for this on his way across the continent, 
the punishment of being left behind is not a slight 
one, for there he will be planted for twenty-four 

c 



1 8 WandciHngs in the Western Land. 

hours, until the corresponding train of the follow- 
ing day arrives. By the conductors being allowed to 
collect money from passengers having no tickets, 
railway companies naturally stand a good chance 
of being considerably defrauded, and many amusing 
stories are told of such occurrences. On one 
occasion a conductor who had been long in the 
employ of a company, was discovered retaining 
money to a very large extent. He was had up 
before the Board of Directors, reproached for such 
behaviour, and asked whether he had anything 
to say why he should not be instantly dismissed. 
His reply was forcible, — " Well, I guess, you arc 
making quite a mistake in shunting me. You see I 
have made my fortune, but the gentleman who 
follows after will have to make his." 

One of my hunters in the Rocky Mountains had 
had a friend a conductor. The first day he was on, 
he collected about $50 ; he thought of this sum he 
would hand in about $30, keeping the remainder for 
his own uses! "Hallo, what's this?" said the 
inspector. "Why the money I took yesterday," 
was the reply. " Well you did have a big day of it 
anyhow. The gent before you never took more than 
$20 in a day" ! ! So much for their ticket system, 
which I do not think we need copy, however far ahead 
they undoubtedly are in many other particulars con- 
nected with the comfort of railway travelling. 

This Intercolonial Railway is a new line, having 
been only opened a few years. It unites Halifax 
with Quebec, joining the Grand Trunk system at 
Riviere du Loup. The distance from Halifax to 
Riviere du Loup is 561 miles, which is run in 20 
hours. 



On the rail — Canadian Forests. 19 

At Moncton, 187 miles from Halifax, a branch 
line goes off 89 miles to St. Jolin's, New Brunswick. 
On leaving Halifax the line (or, as it is called here, 
the "track") runs for a long distance through a 
flat well-timbered country, passing many a likely- 
lookino- lake, on the maro^ins of which one could 
imagine the gigantic moose disporting himself, but 
not a sight of game of any sort gladdened my eyes 
throughout the whole journey ; there appeared, in 
fact, a general want of wild animal life. 

Here and there might be seen patches of hundreds 
of acres of burnt timber, testifying to the fearful 
ravages made by fire in these grand Canadian 
forests. These fires sometimes originate from 
sparks from locomotives, more frequently perhaps 
from carelessness on the part of the settlers them- 
selves, or other parties, camping out in the woods. 
It is really too sad to contemplate the wreck made 
by such conflagrations, and it is high time for the 
Government to adopt some practical measure for 
enforcing as much care as possible on those with 
whom these disasters originate. 

The United States have already very stringent 
laws for this purpose, which are put in force when- 
ever proof of carelessness can be obtained. 

The Canadian forests are indeed grand heirlooms, 
but heirlooms which are getting less and less year by 
year, even at the present rate of legitimate consump- 
tion. A time must soon come when Canadian timber 
will be far more diflacult to get than at present, and far 
more costly. Why then should this comparative 
scarcity be hastened on by needless carelessness or 
reckless mischief? Sometimes the embers of a fire, 
not extinguished before the camp is left, kindles up 

c 2 



20 IVandermes in the Western Land. 



"s 



into a flame again ; at otlier times tlie careless light- 
ing of a pipe or the wanton mischief of a boy may 
start a fire, which results in the destruction of 
hundreds, aye, thousands of acres of magnificent 
forest timber. It is truly distressing to see these 
blackened stumps and poles, stretching away for 
miles, where, only a few months before, forest giants 
luxuriated in their primeval grandeur. Let us hope 
that ere long effective measures will be in force which 
will check this sinful waste. 

But to return; at Spring Hill station we 
branched off from the main line of the Intercolonial 
Hallway, and having to wait here some time, I was 
able to learn a little about this, one of the most 
important coal producing districts of the Dominion. 
The Spring Hill colliery has been opened about 
three years, and is one of the largest undertakings 
in this locality. It is in communication with the 
main line by a branch of about four and a half miles 
from the Spring Hill station. The " out-put " at 
the present time is about 300 tons per day. The 
measures are steep, — that is, lie at a sharp angle, — 
about 35° I was told ; the coal is won by a slant 
driven down over 100 fathoms in one of the veins. 
Three veins are being worked ; the largest has a 
thickness of about nine feet of coal, the quality is 
said to be strong bituminous. I see the analysis is 
given as 60'95 % carbon, 25'38 % volatile matter, 
the remainder ash, with a little sulphur. It is used 
exclusively by the locomotives on the Intercolonial 
Railway Company, and seems to answer well. There 
are about 300 men employed in connexion with the 
colliery, for whom cottages have been built by the 
company. 



Oil the limit — Harrison'' s. 2 1 

About a quarter of an hour's rail from Spring 
Hill station landed us at the colliery, where we 
chauo-ed from a mineral into a basfofao^e-wao-cron, 
which, with a few "lumber" or timber trucks, 
formed the train for the remainder of our railway 
journey. A run, or rather a crawl, of three hours 
to perform fourteen miles, brought us through a 
well-timbered, thinly-inhabited country, to a cross- 
road called Halfway River. Here ourselves and 
baggage were deposited on the side of the track, 
this being the nearest spot on the railway to the 
country of our future hunting operations. Leaving 
the impedimenta in charge of Sandie Macdonald, 
I set off on foot for a settler's homestead about a 
mile away, and arranged with the owner to convey 
us to another settler's, called Harrison, from whose 
house we hoped the next day to make our start 
into the woods. A very comfortable home was 
Harrison's. A plain, well-built plank-house, lined 
inside with birch bark to keep out the cold and 
draughts, and covered with creepers ; the interior 
was plainly but substantially furnished, and con- 
tained more comforts than might have been expected 
so far away from any town or stores. Outside, it 
possessed an important addition to good living in the 
shape of a capital garden and orchard. Wild hops 
grew luxuriantly, as is generally the case in this 
country, but I never saw them cultivated as a crop 
by the Canadian farmer. I could never ascertain 
why this was, for all I asked seemed to agree in 
the suitability of the climate and the ready market 
which could be made for them. 

Our host was a good specimen of a well-to-do 
Canadian settler. He had emigrated from the " old 



22 lVa7idcri7iQs in the Western Land. 



^> 



country " as a poor labourer some fifty years ago, 
and bad settled at once wliere we now found him. 
He has acquired a considerable estate, and has 
reared a large family, the youngest of whom is 
already in her teens. A large portion of his land 
is covered with timber, on which he sets a great 
value, foreseeing, that, owing to the vast quantity 
which is felled yearly, and the immense destruction 
by fire, the value of timber (or " lumber," as it is 
here termed) must increase enormously. 

The timber hereabouts is principally " black 
spruce," which grows so fast that when thirty years 
old, Harrison told me, he could cut " deals " out of 
it twelve inches wide by three inches thick. Besides 
the spruce, of which there are three varieties, there 
are three kinds of birch and two of maple. 

In addition to the wholesale modes of destroying 
timber of which I have spoken, there is individual 
or retail waste constantly going on. If a settler 
finds a fine tree encroaching on his clearing or 
road, instead of felling it and making use of the 
timber, he will often, as they say here, " nick" it, 
that is, cut a deep notch in the tree about four 
feet from the ground all the way round. Circula- 
tion is stopped, and the tree dies and falls. Then 
again in hunting, if an Indian wants to mark his 
way, he will pass along breaking the leading shoots 
off the young firs as he goes. If it suits his fancy, 
he will make his camp-fire at such close proximity 
to, it may be, the finest tree of the forest that the 
roots are consumed and the tree itself destroyed. 
This was the case at our first camp, and when I sug- 
gested the removal of the fire a little further from 
the splendid spruce, a contemptuous smile lighted up 



Forest trees — The sugar maple — Syntp. 23 

the face of our hardened old Indian, accompanied by 
some light remarks about there being plenty more. 
By the end of our week's sojourn the roots and side 
of the stem nearest the fire were completely charred, 
and the gigantic old fellow had but to die. 

From the variety of maple called here the rock 
maple {cicer saccharmus), a fine white sugar is 
made. The process — which takes place in the 
month of April — consists in cutting a V in the bark, 
in the point of which a plug of wood is inserted 
which serves as a tap for the juice to flow over. 
This is collected into vessels, and concentrated by 
boiling until crystals are obtained, in much the 
same way, I believe, as the ordinary cane-sugar is 
manufactured. It is stated that a very good tree 
will yield in a season, without injury to itself, thirty- 
two gallons of sap or juice, which would make about 
8 lbs. of sugar ; but I believe such a yield to be far 
above the average, which would be, probably, nearer 
twenty gallons of sap per tree. In appearance, the 
maple sugar is very like ordinary white sugar. Both 
in the States and in Canada it is in much favour, as 
well as the syrup made from the same source. 

The consumption of syrup in North America 
must be enormous. No meal is considered com- 
plete, even in the backwoods, without this " fixing," 
and to such an extent is this a necessary that 
it is a regular item in the fitting-out stores of the 
hunter, miner, and lumberman. This would seem 
to confirm the theory that to a great extent saccha- 
rine matter supplies the place of alcohol in the 
human system, as but little spirits are, as a rule, 
consumed by this class of " outfits." 

Amongst the other principal forest trees of 



24 Wanderings in the Westcj'u Land. 

Canada are the pines, of wliich there are said to bo 
four chief varieties, viz. the Weymouth, or white 
pine {pinus Strohm) ; the yellow pine {pinus mitis) ; 
the red or pitch pine {pinus resinosd) ; and the grey 
pine (jnnus Banlcsiana), of no commercial value. 
Then there are four principal sorts of spruce, viz. 
the hemlock [pinus or ahies Canadensis) ; the white 
(pinus alba), and the black {pinus nigra), and the 
balsam spruce (pinus balsamea). There is only one 
variety of larch, namely the black larch (larix 
Americanus). The birch is a magnificent produc- 
tion of these forests, growing to such a size as we 
have no idea of in the old country. There are three 
varieties, the black, the yellow, and the white 
(betula alba). Tlie bark of this latter is one of the 
most useful, if not the most curious, productions of 
the great Canadian forests. It is truly marvellous 
to hear of the many and varied uses to which it is 
applied. It is a true friend alike to all — to the 
Indian, the hunter and the settler. Of it, the Indian 
makes liis camp utensils ; with it, he covers his canoe, 
and forms the outside of his wigwam, for which his 
Western brethren use the skins of the buffalo and 
the deer. In it he has a torch always ready to 
hand ; and however wet the weather, it will " start " 
his fire, an invaluable blessing in such a climate as 
that of Canada. On one occasion I call to mind, 
we had to make camp in the dark ; the difiiculties 
of this proceeding were considerable, from having to 
grope about for everything, when of a sudden one of 
our Indians encountered an old birch tree, the bark 
of which he forthwith fired ; a grand blaze ensued 
which greatly facilitated our endeavours, and we 
soon got fixed for the night. 



Birch barl', ?7s uses. 25 

The Indian squaw is said to be able to boil water 
in vessels made of birch bark, by dropping heated 
stones into the water. Very great ingenuity is dis- 
played by the natives in making utensils of this bark ; 
the corners are turned up and secured with the 
supple roots of shrubs, which seem to be always at 
hand, and as pliable as Avhipcord. The less inge- 
nious settler has found out that he can make his 
plank house warmer and more comfortable by 
lining the inside with sheets of birch bark, and 
this plan is now very generally adopted in the 
better class of houses. When the country is left 
in which the birch flourishes, the want of the ready 
friend is keenly felt in more ways than one, but 
more especially about the camp-fire, where it can 
only be supplied by much additional labour in find- 
ing and cutting up the very small dead sprigs of the 
neighbouring pine trees. 



CHAPTER III. 

" Here and there rise groves from the margins of swift running 
rivers, 
And the grim taciturn bear, the anchorite monk of the desert, 
CHmbs down their dark ravines to dig for roots at the brookside." 
Longfellow, "Evangeline" 4th par., 2nd part. 

After Bear — My Indian Hunter — Woodcraft — Ferocity of the 
Bear— Our First Camp — Camp-making — Food — Sleep — Still- 
ness — Unsuccessful Hunting — The Moose — Close Time — Legis- 
lation — Cause of Scarcity — Modes of Hunting — Snowshoe 
Eunning — A Successful " Creep " — " Calling " and Mos- 
quitoes. 

The next morning we were oft* at an early liour for 
the country in which we intended to make our hunt 
for bear. A waggon was chartered to convey our 
baggage, Sandie being told off as baggage-guard. 

We left a message for D , to inform him of our 

movements and the whereabouts of our future camp ; 
while the Indian, John Williams, and myself went 
ahead on foot, to hunt some of the most likely places 
on our way to the camping rendezvous. 

John was a famous companion, besides being a 
most killing hunter. He was of the Micmac tribe, 
to which all the Indians in Nova Scotia, and a great 
many of those now located in New Brunswick, 
belong. They are a quiet, peaceful, inoffensive 
race ; hard working and money earning. They are 



A 71 Indian hunter. 27 

said to be able to do as hard a day's work and earn 
as much money at the lumber trade as a white man. 
But John was not one of this sort ; he was evidently 
meant for hunting, and not for hard manual labour. 
He dehghted in the chase, and was an undeniable 
hunter; but his specialite wdu^ his woodcraft. Many 
as good a stalker (or, as it is termed here, 
" creeper ") could be found in the Highlands of 
Scotland ; but in his dense native forests it would 
be difficult to find John's equal. Not a thing escaped 
his notice. When the ground was too hard to show 
a track, the fallen debris of the pine and hard wood 
were carefully scrutinized ; twigs of the neighbour- 
ing shrubs, which a beast might have rubbed in 
passing, were consulted ; should a morsel have been 
nipped off a sapling, it was sure to attract John's 
hawk eye ; and woe betide any beast which he once 
got on the trail of; not the finest-nosed sleath- 
hound could follow with a greater certainty of a 
view than my companion of to-day. Tn appearance 
he was peculiar, though not striking in any way ; 
he stood about five feet six inches, was wiry in 
make, sallow in complexion, with long, lanky, black 
hair; in gait he was rather shuffling, but capable 
nevertheless of great endurance and considerable 
speed. His costume was not strictly in accordance 
with one's Scotch-conceived ideas; it consisted of 
a dirty tweed shooting-coat, a pair of blackish 
overalls, and a white straw hat ; a pair of mocassins 
of his own make took the place of shoes. With 
what a marvellous quiet stealth did those mocassins 
glide through the timber, not breaking the smallest 
twig ; whilst I, trying to follow most carefully in my 
London -made shooting-boots, broke so many dead 



28 Waitdei'iii^s in the J Fes fern Land. 

and rotten twigs, and made so much noise, tliat I 
felt truly asliamed of myself, before I encountered 
John's half-astonished, half -reproachful looks at my 
misbehaviour. When game was near, and tracks 
became what is called " burning hot," the joyful 
twinkle in John's dull eyes was worth seeing, it 
seemed to say, " Hurrah ! I am all right, it is only 
for you to do your part now." 

To-day it did not much signify how much noise I 
made, nor how skilful John was, for not a fresh track 
of bear did we come across ; there were plenty of old 
ones, and other signs, too, such as stones and pieces 
of timber turned over in search of ants; but nothing 
denoted any recent visit on Bruin's part to the 
" barrens " we searched so diligently. These so- 
called " barrens " are open spaces in the timber, off 
which the trees have been destroyed by fire or axe ; 
a short undergrowth quickly comes up, consisting 
chiefly of " blueberries," as they are here termed ; 
which are very sweet and attractive to the bear, and 
on them and beech-nuts at this time of the year he 
largely subsists. But if I had no actual sport, I 
had at any rate a good lesson; for old John 
initiated me in all the different signs of the bear. 
The track is not unlike a child's foot in a mocassin, 
from the fact that the animal places the last joint of 
his leg on the ground at the same time as his paw. 

Having never come across a black bear, I cannot 
say anything from personal observation on their 
behaviour when brought to close quarters ; but all 
I heard satisfied me that, unless cornered and unable 
to get away, from wounds or any other cause ; or 
unless in the case of a she-bear defending her 
young, they will always " skip " (run off) as fast as 



071 r first camp — Camp making. 29 

tliey can. I believe nearly all wild animals will do 
the same ; the rhinoceros, African panther, East 
Indian tiger, and grizzly bear being perhaps occa- 
sional exceptions to this general rule. 

As this was our first camp, we were anxious to 
reach pretty early the spot previously arranged on 
by John and the teamster. The locale selected was 
a ridge in the forest, on one side of which was a 
valley through which crawled a small sluggish 
stream. In this little brook were plenty of small and 
indifferent trout, of which we were always able to 
procure sufficient for our wants with but little 
difficulty. On the other side of the ridge, at a 
higher level, was a small spring as clear as crystal, 
trickling down a gentle slope, very small in quantity, 
but of excellent quality, and it was from this we 
got our drinking supplies. Of the other great 
camp necessary, firewood, there Avas indeed an 
abundance ; we were established in the midst of a 
clump of gigantic spruce, against one of which our 
camp fire had been lighted ; and all around, as far 
as the eye could reach in every direction, were to 
be seen dense masses of fir, spruce, and other forest 
trees; the underwood and younger saplings were 
excellent materials for the camp fire. 

The process of making camp was new to me, 
and as it may be so to some of my readers, and 
may interest them, I will briefly describe the modus 
operandi. The general locale being selected, the 
next thing is to pick out the exact spot most suited 
for the camp fire. This is chosen with regard to 
the number and position of the tents to be pitched 
aromid, and proximity to wood and water. Having 
selected the spot, a fire is at once " started." In 



30 Wanderings in the Western Land. 

this, as in many other things, to make a commence- 
ment is the chief difficulty, and often requires a great 
exercise of patience. A small quantity of dry birch 
bark or, where this is not procurable, of the driest 
twigs is first collected, a handful of which is gathered 
up, and the of ttimes precious match is then struck and 
carefully applied ; when well ignited, the bunch is 
gently laid on the ground, and a little more of the same 
material is added very gradually to it. By continu- 
ally adding larger and larger pieces of dry branches, 
the fire is fostered and encouraged into a certain 
substance of blazing materials, on which may be 
gently laid, crossways, two or three logs of dry 
spruce, or fir (in the E-ocky Mountains, cotton- 
wood or pitch pine). Now all is safe, at any rate 
for a considerable time, and the individual to whom 
is deputed the culinary department, can look after his 
pots and pans, and viands, and the others set to work 
chopping wood for the night, cutting tent poles, 
clearing spaces of dead wood and rubbish for the 
tents, clipping off the small branches of the spruce 
for forming the beds (of which more anon), or the 
many other little things which have to be looked to 
for future comfort. It was indeed a fortunate thing 
for me that I was regularly instructed in the art of 
making a fire early in my camping-out life ; other- 
wise, when afterwards " lost " in the Rocky Moun- 
tains, it would have gone hard with me. 

But to go on with om^ camp-making : as level and 
dry a spot as was obtainable near the camp fire having 
been cleared of all rubbish, such as dead boughs, roots, 
young growth, &c., the tents — of which we had three 
on the present occasion — are pitched and securely 
fastened to the pegs, tree-roots, or brushwood. 



Camp making. 3 1 

The tents are placed so that the doors face the fire, 
and as near to it on the probable lee-side as safety 
fi'om the sparks will allow. Often in cold weather 
the hunter is tempted to pitch his tent too near 
the fire, when he is lucky if he escape only with holes 
burnt in the canvas, through which water may in 
future drop on his prostrate body, as a punish- 
ment for his indiscretion ; sometimes, however, the 
total destruction of the canvas home is the sad 
result of trying to secure warmth at the expense of 
safety. 

The tents being pitched and secured, the " floor " 
is covered when procurable with the small branches 
of the spruce, laid a couple of inches thick, with 
the prickly side downwards. Nothing can exceed 
the comfort and luxurious lying of a fresh-made bed 
of this description. It is soft and springy, and it 
has about it a delicious, comforting aroma, satisfying 
and soothing in the extreme. The evening meal 
is being seen to all this time, and by the time our 
beds are made, the food is pronounced ready. Lay- 
ing hold of our tin plate and a knife and fork, we 
proceed to operations, and find that this half-hour of 
supper is by no means the least pleasant of the 
twenty-four. On the present occasion, we were 
obliged to be content with bacon and canned viands : 
but we had most excellent bread, baked in a frying- 
pan on the red-hot wood ashes. We were generally 
able afterwards to vary this too civilized fare with 
some game, most commonly the so-called " par- 
tridges," of which there are two varieties, locally 
called "the common" and "the birch partridge." 
When in the haunts of venison, the meals are real 
events. If meat is plentiful, only the choicest parts 



32 Wanderings in the Western Land. 

are taken for camp use, and when these morsels are 
fried in lard or elk's fat, and supplemented with the 
most delicious new bread, made of the finest 
Colorado flour (of the " snow-flake " brand), and 
eaten in that wonderfully pure and invigorating 
atmosphere, we have a meal not to be equalled for 
enjoyment by the best dinner of the civilized world. 

I cannot say that I slept as well on this my first 
night in camp as I probably should have done in 
my own bed after a stiff day's walking. All was so 
strange and new. The novelty, not to say discom- 
fort, at first, of sleeping in an unaccustomed garb ; 
the chilliness which comes over one towards morn- 
ing, when camping out in hot weather ; the sense of 
loneliness and the absence of all sounds of life, 
except the shrill, uncanny cry of the owl — all 
tend at first to light sleeping and constant waking. 
Then the intense stillness of a Canadian forest, 
even in the daytime, naturally much intensified 
at night, must be felt to be understood. No one 
can fully estimate the value of song-birds till after 
they have experienced their want. Here not a chirp 
is ever heard — nothing but the melancholy " tap, 
tap, tap," and the peculiarly wild note of the wood- 
pecker. How one longs for the rich, full notes of 
our own familiar birds ! and how welcome would be 
the chirp of even the much-despised London house- 
sparrow ! The howling of the many-tongued coyote 
would be an actual relief to the death-like stillness 
of the night, but even this is denied to the Canadian 
forest, where an unbroken quiet reigns around, 
made more lonesome only by the wailing of the air 
in the branches of the pines. 

The break of day came at last, but all remained 



The Forest stillness — On the hunt. ^-^^y 

oppressively still until oiu- outfit began to move 
about ; then cliattering and cliopping commenced in 
earnest, and everybody was busy and at work at 
something. The first thing to be done in the morn- 
ing after "fixing up" the fire is to boil the water 
necessary for ablutions ; then the bread has to be 
baked, and the meat fried for the early meal. Ofteny 
if well banked up on turning in, the fire will be all 
aglow in the morning, and only require the addition 
of some fresh fuel, and a skilful kick or two, to 
make it break forth into an active flame. How 
comforting is its warmth to one's bones, when wait- 
ing eagerly for food after a bitter night, during 
which it has been somewhat difiicult to keep warm 
enough for sleep ! In what form one feels by the time 
breakfast is ready ! and what a quantity is consumed 
before the meal is over ! There is no doubt about 
it, that camping out gives an appetite and a relish 
which are never forthcoming in the domesticated 
routine of home life, and however many meals are con- 
sumed, that miserable production of civilized life, in- 
digestion, is a complaint unknown in the backwoods. 

After doing justice to our provender, John Wil- 
liams and I started off for a morning's hunt. The 
result was nothing but a good walk and plenty of talk, 
chiefly on hunting and the mysteries of woodcraft. 
Although Ave saw no fresh signs of bear, there were 
plenty of indications that we were in the country of 
that largest of the deer tribe the moose {Alces Ameri- 
canus, or Malchis), hut this was the close season, the 
Legislature of Nova Scotia having deemed it prudent 
to prohibit the killing of moose for three years, which 
period expires on the coming 1st of October. 

A few words about the advisability and working 

D 



31 Wande7^in^s in the Western Land. 

of this law. I begin by saying that I most fully 
concur in any legislation which would tend to the 
better preservation of this grand animal, but I 
doubt very much whether prohibiting their being 
killed altogether for three years, and then allowing 
them to be slaughtered at pleasure during the 
winter months, commencing with the 1st of October, 
is calculated to attain this object. Every one who 
has had anything to do with the deer tribe in 
general, knows that the male about this time of 
year begins to get out of season, and I believe that 
the moose is no exception to this general rule. 
From what I am told, the bull moose is in prime 
condition from about the 20th of August to the 
1st of October, and is at that time well able to take 
care of himself in his native fastnesses ; but after 
the snow has fallen he is out of condition and weak, 
and falls an easy prey to the hunter shod with snow- 
shoes. The heavy brute himself breaks through the 
crust formed on the surface of the snow, whilst the 
broad snow-shoes bear the hunter over the fickle 
skin of ice. The cows heavy with calf fall easy 
victims, and are killed chiefly for the sake of their 
hides ; hitherto both sexes seem to have been 
slaughtered indiscriminately. Is it any wonder, 
then, that this grand deer is becoming rapidly 
extinct? What would become of our Scotch red 
deer if stags and hinds were to be killed all 
through the winter ? The only wonder to me is 
that there are so many left as there still are. 

Another of the endeavours of the local Legislature 
to protect the moose (and caribou) is a regulation 
that no one in any one year shall kill more than two 
moose and three caribou. But who is to enforce 



Moose legislation. 35 

this law ? How is it possible to obtain proof of an 
offence against it, considering the extent of the 
thinly inhabited and thickly timbered regions which 
have to be dealt with ? I believe that if the Leffis- 
lature were to enact that no bull moose should be 
killed except during the months of August and Sep- 
tember, and that no cow moose should be killed at all 
for a certain number of years, and then that they 
should have the same close time as the bull moose, 
making the penalty for killing or possessing double 
what it is at present — viz., one hundred instead of 
fifty dollars — that there would soon be plenty of 
moose again. Against this it will be urged that the 
winter is the great time for moose hunting, and that 
it is such "sport" on snow-shoes. I have never 
tried it, so am nnable to form an opinion ; but I 
can hardly believe in the enjoyment of this sport, 
which consists in running down a fine animal, 
wasted and miserably out of condition, floundering 
through t]ie crust of snow, which is strong enough, 
however, to support you on your snow-shoes. 

Then again it will be said, that it would be hard 
on many poor Indians, and some settlers, who now 
subsist largely on moose meat through the winter. 
Well, under any circumstances, these individuals 
will soon have to find something else to subsist on, 
as imder the present system there will soon be no 
moose at all ; besides which, it would be quite open 
to them to cure for their winter's wants any meat 
killed in the autumn, as is often done now. 

These enactments should of course be made equally 
applicable to Indians and whites, and a good portion 
of the fine should be allowed to the informer on 
whose evidence the conviction is obtained. 

D 2 



36 Wandcrmgs in the Western Laud. 

Various causes are assigned by the inhabitants for 
the increasing scarcity of the moose. It is said that, 
on the occasion of our troops going out to Canada 
at the time of the '* Trent " affair, a most lament- 
able slaughter took place by both Indian and white 
hunters to provide mocassins for the soldiers, which 
the Government thought to be necessary. The bears 
are often accused of assisting in the destruction of 
the moose by killing the young calves ; but I could 
not find out that this v^as the case, at any rate, to 
any considerable extent. 

I believe that the slaughter which has taken 
place in the deep snows of winter is the main cause 
of the present scarcity, and that this will, unless 
checked by effectual legislation, eventually cause 
the total extinction. I do not mean for one 
moment to assert that the three years' rest which 
has now been given in this province, has not 
been of very great service ; on the contrary, I be- 
lieve from what I am told that the moose has in- 
creased enormously during this period ; but I am 
very doubtful whether the coming winter will not 
leave as great a scarcity as has ever before existed, 
and for the following reason : every hunter and 
would-be sportsman knows that they are more than 
usually plentiful now, and that the Legislature may 
at any moment re-enact a fresh close time ; con- 
sequently, all are anxious to be at them, and the poor 
beasts will get a very hard time of it from all sides. 

And now to close this dissertation on the pro- 
tection of the moose, and to say a few words about 
the animal itself, and the two other modes of 
" hunting " it, besides that on snow-shoes in winter. 
Judging ])y the only specimen I ever killed, and 
from what I heard and saw, the American moose is 



The Moose — Illodes of huntijig-. -^^y 

identical with tlio elk of Nortliern Europe. The bull 
is of great size, weighing frequently, when " gral- 
loched," from 600 to 700 lbs., or even 800 lbs., say 
from 40 to GO stone. He sheds the velvet off his 
horns about the beginning of September; and 
commences " running " about the middle of that 
month, remaining with the cows about five or six 
weeks. He generally has only one or two cows 
with him, but does not remain with the same for 
long. At this time of year he usually frequents the 
thick undergrowth of the Canadian forests abutting 
on damp, wet ground, and seems perfectly at home 
in the water. Both the bull and the cow have 
something comical and antediluvian in their ap- 
pearance ; but, notwithstanding their great size, 
their movements are surprisingly rapid, and the 
the pace at which they can get through the thickest 
growth is most astonishing. Their senses of sight, 
smell, and hearing are all very acute, but more 
especially their hearing ; and it is a matter of the 
greatest difficulty to get near them, unless a smart 
wind is blowing to make a stir amongst the 
branches of the timber. 

The other ways of "hunting" the moose, besides 
that to which I have already alluded, are " creeping," 
or what we should call " stalking " — and " calling." 
The " creeping" is pursued chiefly in the "fall," or 
autumn, and consists in walking most carefully, 
and against the wind, the likely places of the forest, 
watching narrowly the signs you may come across, 
such as the foot-tracks, browsing of the shrubs, &c., 
&c., and looking out sharply for a snap shot. A 
good Indian can tell to a nicety and with certainty 
the exact age of each track, the probable size of the 
beast, how long such a small twig has been browsed, 



38 TVa7tderings in the Western Land. 

&c., &c. When it is deemed that the beast is in 
close proximity, the utmost caution is necessary; 
the cracking of a piece of dried stick might " jump " 
(start) him at any moment, and he would be away 
without your getting even a sight of him. You may 
be lucky enough, as was my case, to sight him 
standing broadside on for a moment, just long enough 
to get your rifle off, and to know, notAvithstanding 




'/-%*= 



THE DEAD MOOSK. 



From a Sketch hi/ Aliert Bicrstinl/. 



his rapid disappearance into the densest of thickets, 
that you were well on him. Ah ! then comes the 
thrilling joy, the inexpressible feeling of delight, 
which repays the sportsman for many a bad night 
and real rough work, when on taking up the track 
you come first on his blood, and then a little further 
on his gigantic body, lying prone and helpless ! I 
need not dilate on the rhapsodies which your hunter 
and yourself pour out over the fine beast ; nor on 



Moose '' calling y 39 

the interest of tlic after pvocossos of "grallocliing," or 
" dressing," and the way in which the prized morsels, 
such as the " rauffel" (or nose), and tongue, &c., are 
commented upon and packed for that evening's enjoy- 
ment over the blazing camp-fire. But keen as all this 
enjoyment is at the time, and enjoyable even now to 
recall, it is soon over, and a long and severe trudge 
back to camp, partly in the dark through fallen 
timber, soon takes off somewhat of its freshness. 

The third mode of hunting the moose is " calling." 
This is followed from about the middle of September 
to the end of the first week in October, the most 
favourable time of the twenty-four hours being very 
early in the morning and very late in the evening, when 
the moon is at her full. I believe that no white man 
can call well, and that an Indian must always be 
employed. His instrument is a piece of birch bark, 
twisted up into the shape of a speaking-trumpet. The 
call, or cry, is in imitation of that of a cow moose, but 
it is skilfully varied witli the note, or perhaps " roar," 
of the bull. The noise made is not unlike what I have 
occasionally heard from red deer stags, but not the 
regular roar of the latter. To "call" well is a 
matter requiring great practice and skill ; and even 
the Indians themselves vary much in their pro- 
ficiency. The modus operandi is to take up a posi- 
tion with your " caller " towards evening, or very 
early in the morning, in some clearing or " barren " 
in the forest, taking care tliat the wind shall be 
coming from that portion of the forest where you 
think it is most likely that a moose will be. Being 
tolerably well hidden by brushwood, tlie caller emits 
one of the prolonged grunts or calls ; if no answer 
of any sort is made from the neighbouring forest 
after an interval of ten or fifteen minutes, the pro- 



40 WandertJigs in the Western Land. 

cess is repeated, and so on until tlie calling time is 
past. If any answer comes, tlie greatest skill 
has to be displayed by the caller in order to allure 
the moose within range of the rifle. Should he 
come out into the open, and get drawn on within 
one hundred yards, the calling must not be 
attempted, or he would at once detect the imposi- 
tion. Sometimes he will stop two hundred or 
three hundred yards off, and refuse to come any 
nearer, being what a Highlander would call " sus- 
peecious ;" then there is nothing for it but to try a 
steady shot at that distance. 

This mode of hunting is often very effective, and 
some sportsmen speak Avith enthusiasm of the ex- 
citement of it. I have had but little experience of 
it, and that little brought me no success, so I am 
but ill able to speak of its enjoyment ; but I must 
confess that what little I saw did not commend 
itself to me as a sport. All, except the actual 
shooting, must depend on your caller. It may be 
that my judgment of this sport is influenced by the 
vivid recollection of having become, one warm even- 
ing late in the " fall," a living victim to perfect 
swarms of mosquitoes and black flies. It may 
sound " soft " to care about such trifles when in 
pursuit of such noble game, but let any one who has 
not the skin of a pachyderm try for one hour what 
it is to lie still on a quiet warm autumn evening 
in a swamp of a Canadian forest, unprotected by 
gloves or veil, before he gives an opinion, and then 
I think he will agree with me in acknowledging that 
he had grown somewhat desirous of a move, and did 
not care for a repetition of the entertainment. 
That evening, I remember, even the Indian took it 
seriously to henri", and proposed an earlier return to 



N'o oamc — A move. 



41 



camp than perhaps the prospects of sport (for we 
had had a reply from a bull moose) fully justified. 
Glad was I that night to roll my head up under my 
blanket, the branches of a fine old tree my only pro- 
tection overhead, and the ground my mattress, but 
at any rate I was now safe from the savage attack 
of those venomous pests, whose marks I bore for 
many a week afterwards. 

But I have gone ahead some weeks, and must 
return to our present camp and doings. Dunraven 
and Dr. Morgan joined me the day after I arrived; 
but several unsuccessful days' hunting for l)ear, 
forced us to the conclusion that it was no use trying 
any longer in this district, and that we had better be 
off into the neighbouring province of New Bruns- 
wick, where there are bear, and where, moreover, it 
is lawful to kill moose and caribou at tliis or any 
other time of vear. 




A illCJlAC WIUWAM. 



FruiH a Sketch l>y A. P. V 



CHAPTER IV. 

A key of fire ran all along the shore, 

And lighten'd all the river with a blaze ; 

The waken'd tides hegan again to roar, 

And wondering fish in shining Avater gaze. 

To every nobler portion of the town 

The curling billows roll their restless tide ; 

In parties now they straggle up and down 
As armies, unopposed, for prey divide. 

Those who have homes, when home they do repair, 
To a last lodging call their wandering friends. 

Their short uneasy sleeps are broke Avith care. 
To look how near their own destruction tends. 

Those who have none sit round where once it was, 
And with full eyes each Avonted room require ; 

Haunting the yet warm ashes of the place, 
As murder'd men walk Avhere they did expire. 

" Annus Mirahilis" Drydeii. 

Saint John's, IT. B. — The late fire — Extent — Suffering— Destruc- 
tion of property — The night following — Eelicf incidents — 
Energy of inhabitants — The St. John's River — Eeminiscenccs 
of tlie past — Ercdcricton — Cathedral — Houses of Iteprcsonta- 
tives — Members — Business — The Lumber Trade and Lumber 
Men. 

It was tlio first week iu September wlien wc left off 
hunting in Nova Scotia. The weather was still as 
warm as summer, and I at least, felt loath to leave 



Saint Johiis^ New Briinszvick — The Great Fire. 43 

the old camp, but having decided, as we thought, for 
the best, we hurried back to civihzation as speedily 
as we could. Two days' travelling, partly driving, 
partly by rail, brought us to the once fine city of 
Saint John's, New Brunswick, which to distinguish 
in conversation, from the city of the same name 
in Newfoundland, has the accent thrown on the 
" Saint," whilst in the other it is made short. 
The next morning the rest of my party went on to 
Fredericton, to make arrangements for a contem- 
plated canoeing expedition down the great Miramichi 
river, whilst I remained behind to have a look round 
at this "burnt-up" city. The " Waverley," the 
" house," or hotel, we were stopping at, was the 
only important hostelry which escaped destruction 
from the terrible fire. 

I shall not attempt to give more than a very brief 
account of the fearful calamity to this once prosperous 
and go-ahead city. Nor can I describe the curiously 
depressing effect on one's feelings on visiting the 
hundreds of acres of blackened earth and debris of 
all sorts, where existed but a few months ago streets 
and houses alive with thriving industry. The fire 
commenced about half-past two in the afternoon of 
the 20th of June of this year (1877), and by eight 
o'clock in the same evening it was nearly over. In 
that short time there was not only a considerable 
loss of life, but such a vast amount of human suffer- 
ing consequent on the disastrous destruction of 
house and other property as to be truly heart- 
rending to hear of. It is believed that between 
twenty and thirty persons were killed on the spot, 
and many more seriously injured by falling mate- 
rials. Nearly two bundled acres of buildings were 



44 Wanderings in I he M'e stern Land. 

destroyed, and nine and a half miles of streets ! the 
value of this j^roperty and effects is computed at 
about five and a half million pounds ! 13,000 people 
are stated to have been made homeless ! ! 

Let the reader try to conceive what an amount of 
misery these data mean ! As a sample, one poor 
woman, who before the calamity was rated on nearly 
3000/. worth of property, was now literally without 
a cent, and dependent solely on charity ! She, like 
many others, was uninsured, and the general suf- 
ferings were aggravated by the inability of some 
of the insurance companies to meet their liabilities 
at once. 

The work of destruction was so fearfully and 
almost supernaturally irresistible that, to use the 
words of my informant (himself an eye-witness), 
" It was as if the air itself Avas on fire ; as if there 
was something unnatural in the atmosphere." Not 
only were all the wooden houses and structures 
swept away as if they were straw, but I saw myself 
great masses of stone and brick buildings in crum- 
bled dust and ruins. In some cases the blackened 
brick chimney-stacks stood alone amongst the 
ghastly debris to mark the site of some of the finest 
structures the city could boast of. It was curious 
to observe how much better bricks stood the fearful 
heat than stone. It would appear as if the stone 
(principally granite and sandstone) had got pre- 
viously so heated that when played upon by the 
water it flew and crumbled to pieces. A fine flight 
of dressed granite steps had become calcined sand, 
and some of the most substantial stone structures 
appeared to have fallen the easiest victims to the 
sheets of flame. In fact, fanned by a strong north- 



The Great Fire. 45 

west wind, the fire from the very commencement 
seemed to have defied the efforts of the gallant fire 
brigade, and to have swept all before it. 

The insurances are said to have covered about one 
and a half million pounds sterling of the total loss 
of five and a half millions. The Dominion Govern- 
ment Property which was destroyed was stated to 
be worth 100,000/., and was nninsured. The build- 
ing of the Bank of British North America escaped 
in a most wonderful way, having apparently had fire 
on all sides of it, and was the only "money 
house " in a condition to resume business the next 
day. 

The night of the fire is said to have been a most 
fearful one. Misery, destitution, helplessness, blank 
despair, reigned on all sides, and yet there were found 
even amidst all these horrors, miscreants hardened 
enough to take advantage of the dreadful visitation, 
and to plunder the helpless suff'erers. On the other 
hand, to the credit of human nature be it stated, that 
no sooner was the fire known abroad than supplies 
began to pour in from all quarters. More especially 
did the towns of the United States distinguish them- 
selves in this good Samaritan work. Everybody and 
every public company seem to have exerted them- 
selves to the utmost to alleviate the terrible amount of 
suffering and misery which ensued, and which would 
have been intolerable but for the timely assistance so 
promptly rendered. Relief Committees were organ- 
ized ; quick trains were placed at the disposal of the 
authorities by the Intercolonial Railway Company 
for the instant conveyance of the much needed sup- 
plies, and perfect order was restored and guaranteed 
by the arrival of a detachment of regular troops from 



46 ]Vandcrings in the Western Laud. 

Halifax. Then assistance in money began to pour 
in, and here again the philanthropy of the inhabitants 
of the United States was remarkable. Chicago, which 
had herself suffered so fearfully, and so recently from 
a like disaster sent 4000/., Philadelphia 1200/., and 
I am told the amount from Boston was not less than 
11,000/. The Dominion Government contributed 
4000/., and the town of Halifax 2000/. Besides 
these there came smaller amounts from the old 
country, from Glasgow, Liverpool, and Manchester. 
At the present time — the month of August — many 
small wooden shanties have sprung up here and 
there on the blackened ruins, in which business is 
being temporarily carried on, and many fine struc- 
tures of brick and stone are being rapidly erected; 
but one cannot help shuddering to see that wood is 
still used very largely in the construction of the new 
buildings. Surely this — " the Great Fire " — with the 
three or four large ones which have occurred in pre- 
vious years, must have taught them a lesson. And so 
it has to a certain extent, for the Insurance Companies 
refuse now to insure wood, but it is said that the 
mass of the people are so poor that they cannot 
afford brick or stone, and that therefore they are 
forced to rebuikl their wooden habitations. Merci- 
fully a plentiful supply of water is always at hand, 
and the water's edge seems to have been the only 
defined line of arrest to the sweeping flame in the 
present instance. 

Many must have been the incidents of excitement 
and agony of mind during that short but awful reign 
of fire. The landlord of my hotel himself must have 
had rather a mauvais quart cVheure. He was absent 
on his farm a few miles from the city when the fire 



The Great Fire — T/ic St. John River. 47 

bi'oke out; tlie second in command got all the 
horses out of the stables, which were threatened by 
the fire, and drove as hard as he could to the land- 
lord, and told him that " St. John's was in flames." 
Our host's feeliuo-s were not to be envied during the 
fourteen miles' drive back to the city. He did not 
know but that his all — namely, his house and stock 
in trade, which were entirely uninsured — might not 
be a blackened mass of rains by the time he c^-ot 
back. Three times did the flames attack and actually 
ignite his well-built brick house, and three times did 
the gallant gang of workmen repulse the enemy. In 
front and in rear the fire raged, but this building 
stood comparatively uninjured. At last the battle 
was won, and my host has been able to drive a 
thriving trade ever since in his well-tried edifice, 
and is one of the very few gainers by this awful 
calamity. 

It will of course be some time before this city can 
quite recover, but such is the indomitable perse- 
verance, the latent vitality, of these young towns on 
this side of the Atlantic, that its restoration will be 
far more rapid than we could believe possible in the 
old country. I am told that the population of about 
40,000 is not believed to have decreased since the 
fire, but that it has accommodated itself to the cir- 
cumstances by packing closer, only awaiting the 
erection of buildings to expand itself again, probably 
with redoubled energy. 

I was glad to leave this now melancholy city. 
Its situation is not only beautiful by nature, 
but is also well adapted for a large commercial 
centre. The splendid river St. John, here more 
than eighty yards across, is the great channel of 



48 IVando'iii^s in the Western Land. 

commerce from the interior. Down it are brought 
masses of both Canadian and United States timber 
or " lumber." Wharves, constructed of piles, line 
both the St. John's and the Carleton bank, and the 
harbour exhibits a forest of masts, which testify in a 
marked manner to the importance of this port. The 
suburb of Carleton on the rio-ht bank of the sfreat 
river (formerly called the " Richelieu ") is connected 
with St. John's proper by a fine suspension bridge 
200 yards long, which cost 16,000/. to erect. Being 
about one hundred feet above the water, a grand 
view is obtained from it. At the entrance of the 
harbour is Partridge Island, forming a magnifi- 
cent natural breakwater to the heavy ocean swells. 
The tide rises and falls as much as thirty feet, 
which is a great preventive to the accumulation 
of ice. 

The city of St. John's claims to be the fourth 
largest port of commerce in the British Empire, 
coming only after London, Liverpool, and Glasgow. 
The two great sources of commercial prosperity 
seem to be shipbuilding and the timber or lumber 
trade. The most busy time of the latter is from 
April to July inclusive, but at all seasons plenty of 
evidence is to be seen of its importance in the 
voyage up the river from St. John's to Fredericton. 
Large rafts of logs are formed early in the season in 
different places, and then as soon as the depth of 
Avater will allow, they are towed by small steamers to 
the numerous saw mills. Often the surfiice of the 
river (in some*, places more than a mile across) is 
literally covered with sailing boats of from twenty 
to thirty tons, carrying deals in their holds, and such 
a deck caroo as would excite the indignation of Mr. 



The SL John River — Trade — Scenery— Old times. 49 

Plimsoll. Nevertlieless tlioy seem to make capital 
weather with their handy fore and aft sails, and are 
admirably adapted for the trade. 



0\ TnE ST. JOHN RIVEK, N.l!. 



From Sketches by A. P. T. 






LUMBER BOATS AND RAFT. 



For some little distance after leaving St. John's 
when bound up the river to Fredericton, the banks 
continue high and picturesque. Here and there 
precipitous limestone rocks start sheer out of the 
water, covered with a luxuriant growth of firs and 
underwood. Gradually as we ascend the banks 
become flatter, and the scenery same and unin- 
teresting. Many settlements are to be seen on 
both sides, some of them having quite an ancient 
appearance. St. John's was founded by the French 
at the commencement of the seventeenth century, and 

E 



50 Wanderings in the Western Land. 

the banks of the river were no doubt very rapidly 
settled from this centre. In old times, before the 
days of steamers, the British troops quartered at 
Fredericton used to be conveyed up the river from 
St. John's in large rowing "flats " called " durhams," 
with about twenty oars in each. The distance 
(eighty miles) used to be accomplished in two or 
three days, the soldiers camping on the banks oi 
route. My informant was seventy-eight years of age, 
and old enough to remember those days which ho 
recalled with evident pleasure. The water of the 
river is blackish, as if it contained much peat, but 
such was the effect of a bright sun and a clear sky 
after a heavy thunder shower, that at one time 
during our short voyage it looked quite blue. The 
soil in the vicinity of the river is very rich alluvial, 
with scarcely any stones. So fine and loamy is it, 
that, as my informant expressed it, "you could 
not find a rock big enough to heave at a robin." 
Why a robin (which by-the-bye is no robin, but a. 
blackbird) should be "heaved at" did not tran- 
spire, but it clearly illustrated the fineness of the 
soil. On an ordinary season it is said to grow two 
tons of hay per acre. 

Fredericton is reached from St. John's by the 
steamer in about eight hours, and by rail in some- 
what less. It is a very taking, clean-looking little 
town of about six thousand inhabitants. Notwith- 
standing its very inferior size to St. John's, it is the 
seat of the Government of the Province of New 
Brunswick, and possesses a Cathedral, a Govern- 
ment House, and Houses of Parliament. These last 
are of no exterior beauty, but of them and their 
contents more anon. The cathedral is a very pretty 



Fi'cdcridon — Houses of Representatives. 5 1 

Gothic building of the native sandstone, erected 
about twenty-five years ago. The seats and wood- 
work of the interior are of " butternut " wood, a sort 
of walnut of much repute in this country. The 
present bishop (Dr. Medley) has held the appoint- 
ment for thirty-two years, and is much respected. 
The stained glass of the windows was the only 
drawback to the general pleasing effect of the in- 
terior ; it was of that light, dazzling, unsubstantial 
character, of which so much is to be seen in France. 

Parliament was now in session, but it was a 
special session to deal with the difficulties arising 
from the conflagration at St. John's ; the regular 
session being usually from the 1st of February 
to the middle of April. The hours at which the 
Houses sit are far more sensible, in a sanitary 
point of view at any rate, than are ours in the 
old country; for they meet at ten a.m. and sit 
till one p.m., when they adjourn for the day, unless 
business is very pressing, when they have a short 
sitting after tea at six p.m. Both the Upper and 
Lower Houses hold their sittings in one building of 
insignificant appearance ; the Upper House occupy- 
ing the room exactly above the Lower. The Upper 
House, I am told, consists of some fourteen or six- 
teen members selected by the Government ; they 
have generally been members of the Lower House 
who have been of service to the Government. The 
Lower House consists of forty members elected by 
the constituencies. I heard the Upper House go 
through a Bill in Committee, and can only say 
that in expedition they emulated successfully their 
English compeers. 

The Province of New Brunswick sends nineteen 

E 2 



IVanderiups in the Western Land. 



•a. 



members to the Dominion Parliament at Ottawa. 
It is a cause of complaint here that the maritime in- 
terests of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince 
Edward's Island, are swamped in the Dominion Par- 
liament by the overwhelming number of members 
from the agricultural provinces of Central and 
Western Canada. 

The members of the Provincial Parliament ap- 
peared contented, hard-working, shrewd, and most 
loyal, and well calculated to deal with the local 
interests of a young and developing country. 

We spent some few days in Frederic ton laying in 
fresh stores, purchasing canoes, and engaging In- 
dians preparatory to a canoeing exj^edition. But 
before leaving this great lumber river, I must say a 
few words on that trade of which so much is to be 
seen around on all the big rivers of this country. 

Most of the trees made use of for lumber are of 
the fir tribe, for although there are many others, 
such as birch, maple, &c., wdiich come into the 
market, yet the logs, deals, and battens cut from 
the coniferce form the chief staple of the trade. My 
informant was a very intelligent merchant of Cornish 
descent. His principal business v^as supplying the 
lumber camps with flour and the other necessary 
stores for their winter campaigns. For the infor- 
mation of the uninitiated, I must explain some of 
the local and technical terms. By " lumber " is 
meant timber; a "lumber man" is one who cuts 
or " chops " the lumber during the winter, and later 
on takes his j)art in the various subsequent processes 
on the streams and main river; a "lumber camp" is 
the log hut or huts in which the lumber men live or 
" locate " themselves during the winter operations. 



TJic LiLDiber Trade. 53 

About the month of October experienced men are 
sent out into the forests exploring, or to use their 
own term "cruising;" their object being, in the 
first place, to find suitable lumber for choppi:io-; 
and, secondly, that it shall be in such a locality 
as to make it remunerative to get it to a market. 
Having selected a suitable site — generally a district 
abounding with large spruce, and in near proximity 
to a good stream of water — they return to civilization, 
and enter into negotiations with those to whom the 
timber belongs. The Government, or a Railway 
Company are usually the proprietors, the latter re- 
ceiving it as a grant for making a line through that 
part of the countiy. An arrangement having been 
entered into, about November a suitable place for a 
camp is selected, and to this spot a rough road is 
made through the forest. Then a log hut is built 
to accommodate as many men as are going to " ope- 
rate" during the winter — sometimes as many as 
eighty men are located in one place — and to this 
encampment stores of flour, tea, coffee, tobacco, 
molasses, salt pork, &c,, are forthwith hauled. In 
old times there was an open fire in the middle of 
each hut, but nowadays a stove is used instead. 
Every chink and crevice is caulked as tight as 
possible, so that when the door is closed with all 
the occupants inside, and wet clothes are being dried 
around the parching hot stove, the atmosphere had 
better be imagined than described. By the begin- 
ning of December all is ready for the lumber men, 
who at once take up their abodes in the encampments, 
most of them not revisiting civilization till late in 
the following spring. 

The spruce they fell is generally chopped, so as 



54 Wanderings tn the Western Land. 

to measure not less than ten inches diameter at 
the small end, and to lengths of from twenty to forty 
feet. These logs are hauled over the surface of the 
hard sno^y to the "browse," which is the bank 
overhano-ino- the stream down which the timber is 
to be " driven " or floated when the ice breaks up 
in the spring. Piles of logs are here formed by 
driving in very strong retaining posts and heaping 
up the lumber against these in such a manner that 
when the uprights are cut away the whole pile shall 
be free. When released it crashes madly down the 
hillside into the stream below. These operations 
of felling, hauling, and stacking go on all the winter 
months. 

When the spring comes and the ice breaks up, the 
lumber camps are abandoned and the " browses " are 
let ffo. The lumber is then "driven" or floated down 
the smaller streams into the main rivers, such as 
the St. John, Miramichi, &c. Here it is stopped 
and gathered into what are called " boombs ;" these 
are bays of the river shut off from the rest by large 
" boombs " or logs of timber chained together, and 
made fast to the shore at one end and to a mooring 
at the other with the opening up stream. From 
these depots, rafts, or, as they are called here, 
"joints" are formed, Avhicli arc towed down by 
steamers to the various saw mills on the banks of 
the river. These rafts contain usually about 5000 
cubic feet of timber ; a steamer may have as much 
as a million cubic feet in tow at one time. 

In the saw mills the logs arc cut up into " deals," 
that is, planks three inches thick, and seven, nine, 
and eleven inches in width ; if less than seven inches 
they are called " battens." The thin ends cut off 



The Liimder Ti'ade. 55 

from the tops of tlio trees are split up into " laths " 
for building purposes. 

I fear the foregoing description is dry, but it 
is difficult to make it otherwise. The operations 
themselves, however, are not without excitement, 
and even danger. Two of them are really very 
ticklish, involving risk to life and limb. The 
first of these is, cutting away the uprights which 
retain the browse, when it sometimes happens that 
the browse comes away before the unfortunate 
lumber-man can escape on one side, and then he 
must inevitably be smashed amongst the masses of 
rolling logs, tearing wildly down the hill into the 
stream below. Sometimes it happens that the 
operation is so evidently hazardous that the lumber- 
man is let down from above by a rope and pulley. 

The other dangerous operation is when what is 
called a "jam" occurs in driving or floating the 
lumber down the smaller streams. This happens 
when logs get caught in an obstruction and gradually 
form a barrier, which stops the further progress of the 
floating lumber in rear. Then comes into play the 
services of a not only very active man, but one well 
skilled and experienced in the work which has to be 
done. He finds out first of all the offending logs 
which cause the " jam," and then sets to work with 
his axe to cut them away. Of a sudden the mass is 
freed. To fling his axe away, and skip for dear life 
to the shore, jumping like a cat from log to log as 
they spin and whirl down the stream, is the work of 
a few seconds ; but even surprisingly nimble as he 
is, he sometimes finds that he cannot reach the shore 
before the mass is on him, and he is driven to take 
the last chance of plunging into the water and 



56 Wanderings in the Western Land. 

diving underneath the surging mass, allowing it to 
pass over him. Should he get hit by a log his fate 
is sealed. 

Yet with all these risks and dangers, and the dis- 
comfort of being shut off from his friends and 
civilization for a great portion of the year, the life 
of the lumber-man is most popular. In fact, it is a 
common complaint that it is difficult to get any 
young man to take to anything else, and that agri- 
culture suffers in consequence. The lumber-man's 
wages are not excessive for America, varying 
from $14 to $18 (2/. I65. to 3/. 12s.) per month, 
everything except clothes and tools being found. 
The life itself must be a very healthy one, for it 
would be difficult to find their equals in strength, 
activity, and endurance. I should say they would 
average about five feet eight inches in height, and 
would weigh between eleven and twelve stone right 
through. What a fine, raw material for soldiers we 
have here ! Accustomed as they have been all their 
lives to roughing it, the labours of a campaign 
would come to them not only quite naturally, but as 
an actual enjoyment. Should it be the misforf.une 
of the British empire ever to be involved in a vital 
war, I feel sure that a Canadian contingent would 
prove a most important addition, and that it would 
leave its mark on the nation's history. 



^^^«^_,^- 




STEAMEK TOWING RAFT OF LUMBER. 




ON THE MIEAMICHI." 

From a Sketch by A. P. V. 



CHAPTER V. 



" And the forest life "was in it, 
All its mystery and its magic ; 
All the lightness of the birch tree, 
All the toughness of the cedar. 
All the larch's supple sinews ; 
And it floated in the river. 
Like a yellow leaf in autumn, 
Like a yellow -water lily." 

Lonr/fellow's " Iliaicatha," vii. 



Start for our canoeing trijD — Indian Birchbark Canoes — Disaster — 
Across to the head waters of the Miramichi — Glashville — Hard- 
ships of its early settlers — Gray's IMill — McE wing's — Afloat — 
Beaver — Bear Incident — Camp-making iu the dark — Slow 



Wanderino;s in the Western Land. 



'<b 



l^rogress — Shoalness of water — Signboard — Tlninclerstorm — 
A miserable night — Old Gabe — Capsized — Construction of 
Canoes — Lake INliramichi — A charming camp — Moose Calling 
— Caribou Creeping — Successful Stalk — A grand beast — The 
Caribou — Two Varieties — Colour — Habits — Scarcity — En 
route again— Daily life — Beauty of banks — Burnt Hill — 
Fishing — Moscpiitoes — Blackllies — Eemedies — Picnic Party — 
Boiestown — Eod-fishing — The " Great Miramichi Fire " — 
Extent and sufferings — Indian Town — Shooting a rapid — 
Eenous — White-trout fishing — Waste of timber — Lumber- 
men — Newcastle — End of canoe trip. 

By tlie 1st of September we had refitted and were 
ready for our canoeing trip down the Miramichi, one 
of those grand rivers flowing into the Gulf of 
St. Lawrence, or more accurately into the Bay of 
Miramichi, which abuts on that magnificent gulph. 
Our " outfit " consisted of Lord Dunraven, Dr. Mor- 
gan, and myself, Sandie Macdonald (my Highlander), 
and four Indians. Two of these, our old friend 
John Williams and Hood, we had brought with us 
from Nova Scotia, and were of the Micmac tribe ; 
the other two were Milicetes, a father and son, of the 
name of Gabe. 

To carry ourselves and our impedimenta we had 
hired, bought, and borrowed, three birch canoes, of 
Indian construction. As I was not well, D. started 
ahead of us with the canoes and Indians, leaving me 
and Dr. M., who was kind enough to stop with me, 
to follow on as soon as I was sufficiently recovered 
from the very severe chill I Avas suffering from. A 
couple of days found me ready, but in the meantime 
a disaster had occurred to our transport service, for 
the team of horses which D. had hired to convey the 
canoes from the nearest railway station, Kent, to 
the head waters of the Miramichi, had been scared at 



^'' En route ''for the Head waters of the Mh'amiehi. 59 

the wliistle of the train, and bolted with one of our 
canoes on board. The result was the irreparable 
annihilation of the frail bark, wdiieh meant the loss 
of the fourth part of our means of transport. A 
telegram arrived before leaving Fredericton, ac- 
quainting us with the misfortune, and telling us to 
replace the smashed canoe. This we did, as well as 
vv^e could in so short a time, but, as often hap- 
pens, the canoe which was destroyed was our best, 
and that we now bought was as bad as could be, 
consistently with floating at all. The after conse- 
quences to our expedition were great loss of time 
and temper in pitching and plastering to keep this 
last ship afloat. 

The drive of sixteen miles fromKent station to Gray's 
Mill, on the head waters of the south-west branch 
of the Miramichi, is at first through a country well 
covered with birch and other hard-wood trees ; then 
we got into denser forests, chiefly composed of 
coniferffi, as well as maple and birch, the latter 
attainino' a size inconceivable to those accustomed 
only to the English growth. Our progress was slow 
and tiresome ; the roads were very bad, and we had to 
be careful not to strain our canoe or smash it as^ainst 
the overhanging branches. But all around was new 
to me, and there is always a charm in looking out 
for novelties in Nature's works. There was little 
to be seen of animal life. We disturbed one covey of 
" partridges," which caused us to descend from our 
conveyance and demean ourselves by shooting a few 
off the tree "for camp use." I mention that they 
were for food, as affording extenuating circum- 
stances in the eyes of my fellow sportsmen for 
the dastard deed. In the vegetation, however, 



6o Wa7ide7'inzs in the Westeini Land. 



%i 



there was much strange and new, and I often 
wished on this and other occasions that I knew a 
httle of botany. 

About midwny we passed through a new small 
settlement called " Glashville," consisting of a few 
loo- houses and an inn with the hi Q-h-soun dins; title of 
" Glashville House." The inhabitants are hardy 
Scotchmen, who had been induced to clear and 
settle here by a grant of one hundred acres free per 
man, they on their part undertaking to make a road 
free of cost to the settlement. The first winter after 
their arrival from the old country was terribly hard 
for them, poor people ! They were all quite new at 
a settler's life in this very severe climate, and seem 
to have suffered fearfully. However, with the 
indomitable perseverance of Scotchmen, they stuck 
to their work, and have established a fairly pros- 
perous settlement. 

Nine more weary miles brought us to Gray's mill. 

Here Ave had hoped to find D and our advanced 

guard, but here they were not ; and all we could 
ascertain from the Irish inhabitants was that they 
believed they had gone on to a settler's called 
McE wings, eight miles farther down the river. 
Taking on the same team of horses, we made the 
best progress we could, but the pace was slower 
even than before, and it was getting on towards 
dusk before we made McE wings' s, AVe found 
here two of our Indians and our canoe ; they 
had pitched our tent, but as we were very 

anxious to overtake D , wc determined not to 

stop the night here, but to take to our canoes and 
get as far as the remaining daylight would allow. 
It was a lovely autumn evening ; Dr. ]\I and 



Canoemo — An AtUiimn erejiinc. 6r 



cb 



I, with the Indian, Hood, were in one canoe ; 
Sandie and the dogs, and the other Indian, young 
Gabe, were in the other. I did not aspire to being a 
canoeist, so contented myself by lying at the bottom 
of the frail barque on a bed of soft young spruce 

shoots, whilst Hood and Dr. M did the propelling 

part. Unfortunately the water was rather " small," 
and consequently the shallows frequent, so that a 
great deal of scraping, and shoving, and lifting had 
to be encountered, with a fair chance of getting cap- 
sized, where the current was strong. So nearly did 
this happen that on several occasions we took in 
water over the gunwhale. Where, however, it was 
tolerably deep the motion was most delicious and 
soothing. Nothing disturbed the almost unnatural 
stillness of the blissful evening but the lapping of 
the water against the canoes and the slushing of the 
paddle or the pole; a deep quiet pervaded every- 
thing. The tops of the trees were tipped with the 
warm madder of the rich and gorgeous Canadian 
sunset. Thick, almost impenetrable, forests ran 
right down to the very water's edge, dense enough 
to harbour any amount of any kind of big game. 
But i\\G only " signs " we saw, were those of the 
beaver, which were frequently to be detected on the 
soft mud of the shelving banks. Judging by the 
amount of tracks, these little animals must have 
been very plentiful, but we could not stop for such 
small game. Had we known, however, as much as 
we did afterwards, I should have been very much 
tempted to have delayed our movements ; for it 
afterwards transpired that, near where we had 
embarked, a black bear had been encountered the 
previous afternoon by the oldest of our Indians. 



62 IVaiiderifies in the Western Land. 



'i. 



He had been loafing about, as Indians are 
apt to do, just to " take observations " of the 
locaHty, when he came suddenly on a young but 
full-grown black bear. Being unarmed, and the 
bear in very close proximity, Hood speedily made 
up his mind that the best thing to do was to 
try the effect of the vox humana, and commenced 
forthwith to yell and halloo vociferously. This had 
the desired effect ; the bear was scared, and 
bolted ; and Hood lost no time in making back 
tracks for camp. It appeared that he had had 
quite enough of bear-hunting for the present, so 
took care not to mention what had happened — 
at least, to any white man — until we had placed 
a goodly distance between us and the scene of his 
adventure. 

"We had canoed about five or six miles when the 
light began to wane ; and as making camp in the 
dark is a thing to be avoided if possible, we went 
ashore at the first suitable place. It w^as, how- 
ever, very late before Ave had completed our camp 
arrangements ; the selection and chopping of the 
fire-wood having to be carried out by the blazing 
light of a fine old birch tree, which one of our 
Indians had fired for that purpose alone. 

The next morning by half -past seven we had struck 
camp and were again under way; our rate of progress 
was very slow, owing to the continued shallowness of 
the water. "We kept a sharp look-out on both sides 
for any signs of our party, and were in the afternoon 
rewarded by a sign-board, curious in device, of D.'s 
design and manufacture. After close study — some 
difficulty arising from a portion of it having fallen 
to the ground — we made out that he wished us to 



Canoeing — A bad night. 63 

follow him up a small stream which ran into tho 
main river hero from the Miraraichi Lake. The 
Indians judged from the signs that our party had 
been hero the previous day, so wo determined, 
although it was getting late in the afternoon, and 
none of the outfit had been in these parts before, to 
push on up tho brook as far as wo could, before the 
night overtook us. At first the water was very 
shallow, and consequently our progress was anything 
but rapid ; but after about a mile it became deeper 
and more sluggish, and we were able to get along 
famously. 

This night was one of the most uncomfortable I 
experienced whilst hunting in Canada. "We wore 
making good progress up the small stream, when a 
most fearful thunderstorm broke quite suddenly upon 
us. To get ashore and make camp as rapidly as pos- 
sible, was all that could be done. Fortunately we 
struck on the very spot where our advanced party 
had passed the previous night, so we had no clearing 
to do. Almost everything, however, got soaked in 
no time. One dripping tent was soon pitched on 
the soppy, spongy ground, and under it we piled all 
those things wo wished most to save from tho down- 
pour. During the process of camp-making, the 
storm was at its height, and the peals of thunder 
and flashes of the most dazzling forked lightning 
were appalling. Once I saw something like a 
bomb burst apparently not far from us, tho rain 
coming down the whole time in perfect sheets. 
Although the intense fury of the storm did not 
last very long, the rain continued to fall heavily 
during the greater part of the night. Most fortu- 
nately my tent, although wetted through during the 



64 Wanderings in the Western Land. 

operation of pitcliing, proved really waterproof ; and 
not a drop came inside during the whole of the sub- 
sequent downpour. 

What a lovely morning succeeded that terrible 
night of storm ! One could hardly imagine it possible 
that the serene, peaceful scene now before us was 
so lately the battle-field of so fierce a struggle of the 
elements. The quiet but swollen stream flowed 
sluggishly before us, disturbed now only by the 
jumping of fish or the splash of the musquash or 
musk-rat ; and all was so still and calm, not even a 
sigh of air moving to stir the bright green spruce 
branches on which glistened the rain-drops in 
the blaze of the rising sun. All nature seemed 
exhausted and reposing after the conflict of the 
previous night. 

But we had no time to linger and admire; we 
must away again as quickly as possible in pursuit 
of our companions, whom we thought could not 
be far ahead of us. A short distance more of 
dead water between mud banks, on which were 
plenty of signs of musk-rats, beaver, and otter, and 
then we got again into some steep rapids. Here 
we had to turn out and walk through the dense 
timber on the banks, the water being so shallow as 
to necessitate the canoes being emptied of all human 
freight. The canoes were then shoved along from 
the stern, or dragged by the bows, by the Indians. 
Soon after entering these rapids we were surprised 
to come suddenly on a canoe, which we were 
delighted to see was being propelled by old Gabe, 
one of D.'s Indians. He had heard some shots we 
had fired last night before the storm, and had come 
down to render any assistance we might require. 



Capsized — The bircJi-bark canoe. 65 

He told us that we were not far from the Miramichi 

Lake, on which D was encamped. But before 

reaching camp Dr. M— — and I came in for another 
ducking, the result of our being together in the 
same canoe, and one of us attempting to fly-fish. 
Over went the crank piece of bark, and the first I 
knew of it was the difference of temperature to my 
body between lying on my side basking in the sun 
and the cold water of the river. The contrast was 
somewhat startling, but dry clothes and all the 
requisites for a good fire were close at hand, and I 
soon got fairly comfortable again. I came, however, 
to the conclusion that these canoes are not to be 
trifled with, and are certainly not adapted for 
fishing, being almost as tender and crank as a 
Thames outrigger. When it is considered how and 
of what they are made, this peculiarity is not to be 
wondered at. A skeleton of light tough wood, 
generally cedar, in appearance something like the 
backbone of a small whale, over which are nailed 
and tied layers of birch bark, the outside to the 
water ; the ends of the canoe are squeezed in, closed, 
and turned up so as to be quite sharp, and form 
a cut water. Most ingenious and light are these 
crafts, but neither safe for beginners, nor calculated 
for any rough usage. The white settlers do not 
patronize bark canoes, but construct for them- 
selves what are called " Dug-outs," that is, stems of 
large trees, shaped on the outside like a canoe, and 
scooped out in the centre ; these are far more lasting 
and are not nearly so crank, but are far heavier and 
more clumsy than the bark canoes. Both sorts 
are either " poled " or punted ; the pole is used 
when the depth of water will allow of it," and the 

F 



66 



Wanderings in the Western Land. 



paddle when it becomes too deep for the pole. A 
good bark canoe, capable of carrying say three 
persons and some baggage, is worth from fifteen 
to twenty dollars {ol. or 4/.) ; the weight is about 
sixty or seventy pounds. 

To return to the Miramichi Lake, into which we 
entered very soon after the little incident just 
narrated. We found that D. had selected a most 
charming spot for a camp at the south end of this 




»atr*Rj "- 



OUR CAMP ON LAKE MIRAMICHr. 



Fi-om -/ Skeicli hy A. P. V. 



really very beautiful little piece of water. A clear 
streamlet discharged itself into the lake within a 
very short distance, and magnificent spruce, maple, 
and birch covered the ground in all directions. The 
lake itself was about four miles long by three broad, 
surrounded by tolerably high hills except on the 
eastern side, where the ground was flat and very 
swampy. Our encampment was close to the lake 



Ozi?^ camp on Lake Miramichi. 67 

shore, upon wliicli we soon found old tracks both of 
cariboo and moose, exciting to behold. Not far off 
was a very small trail leading through the forest 
to another little lake, called " Napadurgan," of which 
more hereafter. As we should in all probability 
remain in this delightful spot some few days, our 
outfit had taken much trouble to make it as habit- 
able and comfortable as possible. The two tents 
for our own use were pitched near some fine large 
trees with their backs to the lake, and sheltered 
from the cold air and fog which drifted down the 
lake mornings and evenings by some underwood. 
A space had been carefully cleared in front of the 
doors of our tents for the main camp fire, on the oppo- 
site side of which was a marvellously constructed 
" lean-to," the handiwork of the Indians, and made of 
fir poles covered with sheets of the ever-useful birch 
bark. Here on every spare moment they would 
squat on their haunches and chatter away in their 
own native lingo, in great enjoyment of the many 
good stories of which they had a large stock, judging 
by the almost incessant chuckling and laughter 
which proceeded from the little shelter. The floor 
of the lean-to had been carefully levelled, and was 
strewn, inches thick, with the deliciously-soft and 
turpentine-smelling shoots of the spruce branches. 
The men's tent and the cooking fire were a few yards 
off*. Gabe the younger was our cook, and a very 
good one he proved. 

The first evening after we arrived D. and I 
went out with our old friend John Williams, to 
"call" moose. The spot selected was a small 
"barren" two miles from camp, and not very far 
from the edge of the lake. It was oppressively and 

F 2 



68 U^ande rings in tlic ]]'c stern Land. 

strikingly still ; not a sound was to be heard except 
the occasional, wild, melancholy cry of what is called 
here the " Loon " bird (the great northern diver), 
a constant frequenter of the Canadian lakes. The 
beating of one's heart sounded like the thumping 
of an engine when waiting with intense eagerness 
for any answer from the surrounding forest to the 
Indian's call. 

There is a curious feeling of enjoyment in this in- 
tense stillness in the midst of these boundless and 
magnificent forests. A feeling of quiet repose comes 
over one, producing a soothing, calming effect on 
mind and thoughts, which is hard even to understand 
in the haunts of civilization. The season was not 
sufficiently advanced for calHng, nor had we seen 
any fresh signs of moose in this locality, so we were 
not sanguine when we went out, but I was glad to 
try it, although I cannot say that it impressed me 
much as a sport, and after about an hour's " call- 
ing" we re-embarked in our canoe and made for 
camp. 

The next morning I was all ready for a day's 
" creeping," or " still hunting," or, as we should call 
it in the highlands, " stalking," after moose, cari- 
boo, or bear. D. most good-naturedly lent me old 
John Williams, and very early he and I and Sandie 
started away for a barren, which D. and John 
had seen the day before near the Napadurgan Lake. 
We ought not to have been very hopeful, for there 
were no very fresh signs in the vicinity, but somehow 
I thought something would come of the day, and 
Sandie seemed to share my hopes. A trudge of 
five or six miles along the trail through the forest 
brought us to the little lake, which was surrounded 



After Car Hum — An exciting stalk. 69 

"with much swampy and partially- Avooded ground, 
just the favourite haunt for moose and caribou. 

Our movements now became very slow and care- 
ful. The cautious old Indian who led the way 
examined with " skinned " eyes every fresh piece of 
ground which came in view, and I followed close on 
his heels with my favourite little " express " ready 
to open fire on the slightest provocation. All of a 
sudden the Indian drops on his knees, followed 
instanter by Sandie and myself ; then he whispers 
eagerly that he thinks that he has seen a stag caribou 
lying down some little way off, but he was not cer- 
tain, for it was so far off, and he had been so anxious 
to get out of sight again, that he had dropped down 
before he had made quite sure. All doubt is soon 
put an end to by my old stalking-glass, which revealed 
to us a most exciting little family party, consisting of 
a very fine caribou stag, his wife and child, all peace- 
fully lying down and ruminating. The ground was 
well-adapted for stalking, being covered with patches 
and clumps of short stubby cedar ; but there was no 
wind, and it was so very sloppy that there was great 
danger of the slushing of our footsteps being heard 
by the acute-eared beasts. Leaving Sandie behind 
to watch the deer with the glass, John and I started 
off on the stalk. I must confess to feeling more than 
ordinarily excited. It was the first caribou I had seen ; 
the stag was an unusually fine one, and large caribou 
are getting scarce ; moreover, as my stay in Canada 
was to be })ut short, probably I might not get another 
chance, at any rate not at so fine a specimen. Fortune 
favoured us, and my nerves did not desert me ; some 
friendly cedar bushes allowed us to get within about 
ninety yards of the stag, and by kneeling as high as 



70 WaJtdc7'ings in the Western Land. 

I could, I was able to see about half the depth of his 
body. Taking him low behind the shoulder, I pulled. 
Off he went at a gallop, but I soon saw that he was 
badly wounded, and I felt happy ; and well I might, 
for within about 150 yards he fell dead. A sudden 
impulse made me snap at the hind with my second 
barrel as she galloped away, but fortunately — as I 
thought afterwards — I missed her. 

Sandie was soon on the spot, and gralloched the 
stag a FEcossaise ; during which process most 
lavish was the admiration poured by all of us upon 
the grand beast. His head was very fine, pos- 
sessing both length and span of horn, and no less 
than twenty-five little points. Being in excellent 
condition, his haunches were covered with inches of 
fat, and the hair of the skin was sleek, glossy, and 
thick. We had no means of ascertaining his weight, 
but Sandie, who had had great experience of red 
deer and cattle, estimated it to be about 450 pounds 
— over thirty-two stone — " clean." Sandie packed 
the head back to camp on his shoulders, a distance 
of six or seven miles, through thick and fallen timber, 
and over some infamously swampy ground, a feat 
which raised him much in old John's eyes, who, I 
fancy, rather looked down upon the modus ojyerandl 
of the previous gralloching. On reaching camp 
many were the congratulations on my luck, and most 
excellent were the tit-bits we had brought home with 
us for supper. 

The next day four of our men started off* early, 
and having skinned and cut up the deer, brought 
him l)ack in four parts. They calculated that they 
carried over 100 pounds each, besides the skin and 
head, which bore out Sandie' s estimate. The meat 



The Caribou. 71 

was excellent, and having set apart for use as much 
as we could consume fresh, the Indians smoked and 
dried the remainder. Even from a commissariat 
point of view this was a great piece of good fortune ; 
it kept us well supplied with meat for the rest of our 
voyage, and even smoked caribou is very superior to 
salt pork and bacon, which would otherwise have 
been our portion. 




MY CARIBOU. 



And now to say a few words about this fine and 
sporting representative of the deer tribe. The 
caribou, or cariboo (tarandus rangifer), is the 
reindeer of America, in the same way as the moose 
is the Amei'ican elk, though in the latter case the 
American and European representatives are much 
more nearly identical than are the cariboo and the 



72 Waiide}'ings in the Western Land. 

reindeer. Authorities seem to recognize two varieties 
of caribou in North America, namely, the " barren 
land caribou " and the " mountain caribou." The 
former is found in Newfoundland and Labrador, and 
is generally larger and coarser than the mountain 
caribou, which inhabits Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, 
and other parts of Canada, and some parts of the 
United States. The specimen I was lucky enough 
to get was as fine a mountain caribou as Professor 
Ward, of Rochester, New York State (a gentleman 
of vast experience), had ever set up. These deer go 
in herds like red deer, but the difference of size 
between the stag and the hind is much more marked. 
The colour of the skin is a greyish brown, the stag 
having a broad white stripe extending from the 
shoulder to the neck ; the feet are large and broad. 
With the fore feet they clear away the snow when in 
search of food, for I am told that it is a popular fallacy 
to suppose that this process is performed with their 
brow antlers, and it is evident that if this were so, 
the hinds would fare but badly, for although they 
generally have small spike horns, they never have 
the brow antler. The stag sheds the velvet about 
the middle of August, and commences to go with the 
hinds about the end of that month, or the beginning 
of September. 

In point of size, the caribou comes about third 
of the American deer kind, the Moose {idcea vuilchis) 
and Wapiti [cervus canadensis) being both larger. 
It is a matter greatly to be regretted that this fine 
animal, like many others, is becoming yearly more 
and more scarce. It would seem pretty certain 
that eventually it will be extinct, unless means are 
taken, and that speedily, for its protection. 



Canoeing — On the river again. ']'\, 

After this piece of luck, I was laid up with a bad 
cold for some days, and could not get out of camp 
much, but D hunted most perseveringly. Be- 
yond seeing the hind and calf belonging to the 
stag I had killed, and hearing a bear near his camp- 
fire when sleeping out one night, he never came 
across any sort of big game. We therefore decided 
on " pulling out " from this beautiful locality and 
continuing our voyage down the river. 

My canoe was navigated by the old Indian, Gabe 
pcre, a most excellent canoeist, skilful but at the same 
time very careful and slow ; moreover he got no as- 
sistance from me, whereas D was himself almost 

as good as any Indian, and Dr. M and Sandie 

worked hard, poling or paddling, as the case might 
be ; the consequence were that our usual order of 
progression was as follows : First canoe, well ahead 

and leading easily, D and John Williams 

(Indian) ; second canoe, Dr. M and Hood 

(Indian) ; third canoe, Sandie and young Gabe 
(Indian), with the two dogs (who generally spent 
half the time in the water or running on the banks), 
and in the fourth and last, old Gabe and myself. 
The impedimenta were divided between all the 
canoes ; the cooking utensils being with the cook, 
young Gabe, whose canoe (our last purchase), as I 
said before, leaked like a sieve, but without detriment 
to the pots and pans, or apparently to the canine and 
human occupants. The river was so " small " that 
much dragging over shallows had to be done ; and the 
bottoms of the canoes got chafed, and all more or 
less leaky. At nights they were pulled up on the 
banks, and turned bottom upwards so as to dry 
well ; then in the morning we were able to see any 



IVaitdci'ijtcs in the Western Land. 



V5 



fresh-made holes or rents, and these were patched 
over with bits of rags and hot resin. Sometimes, 
if the water came in too fast and entailed too much 
baling, this operation had to be repeated, in the 
middle of the day 

The weather was lovely, and fortunately continued 
so the whole of the voyage. Our daily routine 
was somewhat as follows : Having every morning, 
after breakfast, to strike our tents, repair and 
pack canoes, &c. &c., it was generally nine o'clock 
before we got fairly under way ; then we kept 
going till about midday, when we stopped about 
an hour for lunch, after which we paddled on till 
we brought up finally for the night, about five 
o'clock. From fifteen to twenty miles a day was 
about our average rate of progress in the first 
part of our voyage, until the water deepened. 

The upper part of the river was full of trout, of 
which we were generally able to get a good dish 
for supper when we made camp early enough for 
an hour's fishing before dark. The almost total 
absence of animal life is a great drawback to the 
enjoyment of these splendid Canadian rivers. Be- 
yond a few of the large kingfishers, an osprey or 
two, and a few red-breasted mergansers, we saw no 
sign of life for days together. The hopes of sighting 
a bear on the banks kept us always on the look- 
out, but none was forthcoming, and except a pair 

of young lynxes killed by D , our canoeing trip 

on the main river was devoid of all fourfooted game. 

The banks got higher as we proceeded down the 
river, and the scenery reminded me of the neigh- 
bourhood of Cliveden on the Thames, above Maiden- 
head. Where they had not been cut for lumber. 



Canoe voyage — Biirnt Hill — Salmon fishing. 75 

the banks were clothed clown to the water's edg-e 
with the dense sombre greens of the firs, spruce, 
and cedars, but here and there refreshing patches 
of bright maple and birch relieved the eye. At this 
time of the year — the middle of September — the 
maple are brilliant to a degree scarcely to be 
believed by any one who has not visited North 
America in the fell. On the same branch, aye, 
even on the same leaf, of delicate light green, may 
be seen every shade of red, from a rose madder to 
a bright crimson lake. 

A few days of this slow but enjoyable and luxu- 
rious mode of travelling brought us to Burnt Hill, 
one of the chief " fishing stations " of this well- 
known salmon river. We were too late in the 
season to expect any real sport ; in fact we were 
within a few days of the close season, but we 
thought we might kill a few fish, and with this 
object determined to give the best pools a good 
trial. We set to work with a will, fishing hard 
in the early morn, and again as soon as the 
sun was sufficiently low in evening, for during 
the day, when the bright rays of the still fierce 
sun fell on the pools, it was perfectly hopeless 
to attempt it, more especially with the water as 
low as it was now. The pools themselves were 
both promising and numerous, and the whole of 
them can be fished from one bank or the other. 
The width of the river here is about that of the 
Thames at Marlow, but it is not so deep, and is 
more rapid and stony. We flogged away most 
resolutely, but, whether owing to the lateness of 
the season or smallness of the water, with scarcely 
any result ; one fish of about 5 lbs., of a very dis- 



76 JVandcj'ings in the ll^cstern Laud. 

creditable colour, was the sole result of nearly two 
days' labours. There were, therefore, no attrac- 
tions to keej] us here (with the exception of the 
most delicious " blue-berries," which grew in pro- 
fusion), so we soon re-embarked, and resumed our 
downward voyage. One pest we wore spared, Avhich 
is always, unfortunately, the concomitant of good 
fishing in Canada, and that was mosquitoes and 
blackflies ; we had had a fair taste of them further 
up the river, but from all accounts slight in com- 
parison with what they are when the fishing season 
is at its height, say in the months of June and 
July. I must say for myself personally, my new 
acquaintance, the blackfly, is a perfect gentleman 
compared to his confrere, that persistent, indefati- 
gable, poisonous little miscreant, the well-known 
mosquito; but 1 feel assured from personal expe- 
rience that in northern climes the latter is far more 
j^oisonous and hurtful than in the sunny south. 
Tweed material will not keep him out ; his proboscis 
will drive through anything short of leather, and 
even then he will take mean advantage of the 
seams, and make use of the same holes through 
which the threads have passed. 

The " blackfly " in appearance is remarkably like 
the common house fly ; but wherever he pitches on 
the flesh, he drives a small hole, from whicli a small 
drop of blood quickly oozes. This operation is 
sharp while it lasts, but no irritation or inflammation 
follows. 

Many preventives against these veritable and 
sometimes actually dangerous pests are recom- 
mended, some sounding almost as bad as the evil 
itself, such as being smeared with parafiine or coal 



lilosq u i/os a n d Jlics — Rcviedii 's — A p icii ic pi irly. 77 

oil, or a mixture of tar and castor-oil, or pork fat; 
but I found a liquid called the "Angler's Defence," 
wbicb I had bought in Halifax, of very great ser- 
vice, without being offensive to oneself and others. 
No spirit or beer should be indulged in on these 
expeditions, the blood becoming much more inflam- 
matory under these circumstances. I found a mix- 
ture of equal parts of glycerine and chloroform of 
very great value in allaying the inflammation arising 
from the bites, and well worthy of forming part of 
one's small amount of baofo-ao-e. 

Some short way down from Burnt Hill, we passed 
a party of four men and three women " on pleasure 
bent " from a neighbouring settlement, in two " dug- 
outs," on an expedition after blueberries of some 
days' duration, for they had not yet reached their 
destmation. Their daylight was spent in travelling, 
and the nights in camping out on the banks as best 
they could. 

From here on, in order to save weight, the dogs 
and myself walked along the banks wherever the 
water appeared likely to be too shallow. This is 
possible and even easy below Burnt Hill ; but 
above, in most places, the banks are covered with 
dense impenetrable forest to the very water's edge, 
which render it impracticable. 

A few days after leaving Burnt Hill, we arrived 
at the first settler's abode, situated about fifteen 
miles above the first little village, called Boiestown. 
Here we came across a very hospitable farmer, by 
name Wilson, who furnished us with such stores 
as we required, and gave us much information as 
to our route, the fishing of the river, &c. &c. No 
spearing, or " burning " is allowed anywhere on the 



78 IVandermgs in the Western La7id. 

river, and the law is expected to be enforced by 
certain persons appointed by the Government, who 
receive for their services a very small remunera- 
tion. It is doubtful, however, whether these Avater- 
bailiffs are always immaculate themselves, and 
whether some of them do not indulge in a little 
spearing on their own account. The best part of 
the rod season is about the commencement of July, 
and it continues good throughout the month. The 
portion of the river suited for the rod may be said 
practically to cease at Boiestown, below Avhich there 
are no good salmon pools, and quantities of nets. 

We now got into much deeper water, which 
favoured our progress, and we were able to float 
and paddle about twenty-eight miles in the day. 
This part of the country is quite settled. A stage 
coach runs three times a week from Fredericton to 
Newcastle, passing through Boiestown and Dock- 
town, and •' tapping " all this district. The through 
journey occupies about twenty hours. 

A short way further down signs of the fearful 
fire, which swept over this region more than half a 
century ago, are still grimly visible. Large areas 
on both sides of the river were at that time com- 
pletely burnt up, and are even now only sparsely 
covered with undergrowth, through which protrude 
white, weird-looking stumps, silent but striking 
monuments to the power of the dreaded element. 
This terrible fire, known far and wide out here as 
" The Great Fire of Miramichi," occurred in the 
month of October, 1825. Upwards of 100 miles 
in length of country was burning at the same time, 
so that the district was fitly described as a " sheet 
of flame ! " The fire extended over 6,000 square 



The Great Miramidhi Fire — Indian Town. 79 

miles, moi^e than 500 human beings fell victims, 
burnt, suffocated, or lost, and over 253,000/. worth 
of property was destroyed ! ! A relief fund was 
raised, in order, as far as practicable, to alleviate 
the most urgent cases of distress and suffering, and 
it eventually reached the sum of 40,000Z. The 
towns of Newcastle and Chatham were almost 
entirely destroyed, and many of their inhabitants 
lost their lives in the raging and irresistible flames. 
The Indians and even many whites to this day 
regard this terrible fire as a judgment on the in- 
habitants of this part of the country, who are said 
to have been at that time unusually depraved and 
wicked. 

In some places which were swept over by the 
fire, a young growth of firs has come up, and is 
now nearly large enough for lumber ; in others, 
only hard wood has grown, and in others again no 
good growth at all seems to have followed. 

Near Indian Town, a village on the left bank, 
we had the pleasurable excitement of shooting a 
rapid called the " White Rapid." The river is here 
of considerable volume, and as it is much narrowed, 
and a sudden difference in level takes place, a grand 
rush of water is the result. Points of rocks pop 
their heads up here and there through the surging 
waters, adding much to the feeling of excitement 
and pleasure, for I had very full confidence in my 
old Indian, which was not misplaced. Preparatory 
to the shooting I took the precaution of lying 
down flat in the canoe, whilst old Gabe, as cool as 
a cucumber, stood erect in the stern, ready with his 
paddle to steer the frail craft. Away we dashed 
most deliciously, acquiring more and more speed. 



8o Wanderi^ij^s in tJic Jl^estcni Land. 

shaving rocks wliicli seemed an instant before bent 
on putting a sudden end to our further progress, 
but which a slight dash of Gabe^s paddle had just 
sent us far enough off to avoid. Saved from this 
Scjlla on one side, the same movement seemed 
destined to wreck us on a hungry Charybdis on the 
other, only again to be averted by the Indian's 
timely stroke. No flurry about old Gabe — he was 
of very different stuff to the screaming Arabs of the 
cataract of the Nile, — not a word escaped his lips 
until we had landed, or rather floated into the deep, 
still waters of the pool below, when I felt only sorry 
that we had not a series of rapids before us. 

Not far below we found further progress barred 
by a boom of timber, stretching across the river 
and enclosing^ a mass of lumber. To negotiate 
this obstacle we had to eng^ao^'e the services of a 
friendly lumberman, who guided us to a very narrow 
channel, where the canoes were partly shoved, partly 
lifted into the open water beyond. Soon after this 
we brought up for the night, in a small inn kept by 
a man called Jardine, who was the master of this, 
the Renous Post-office. A little above the Renous 
stream flows into the main river. The tidal water 
reaches up as far as this, and the white trout 
fishing is said to be excellent, the fish being nu- 
merous, and regular whales in size, running up to 
6-| lbs. in weight. 

From the Renous Post-office we were able to get 
down in one day to Newcastle, having been assisted 
over the last six miles by a large " skowl," or flat- 
bottomed barge, manned by four Micmac Indians, 
who most good-naturedly took us on board and 
towed our canoes. This " skowl " had been engaged 



A ivastcfiil factory — Parkers — Ltimber men. 8i 

in carrying the bark of tlic hemlock-spruce to a 
factory on the river, where it is heated, and a pro- 
duct is extracted from it, which is used largely 
instead of oak-bark in the tanyards of England. I 
am told that fearful waste of timber occurs in 
this business ; the finest trees being often felled 
solely for the bark, and the timber itself not even 
fetclied out of the forest, but allowed to rot as it 
fell. We made out roughly from hearsay that for 
this one factory alone the bark of over 100,000 large 
trees was required yearly — a large portion of the 
wood of which is wasted. Some of the timber is, 
however, sawn up into boards ; but it would seem 
as if there was more demand for the bark than for 
the planks ; or else that the power of hauling from 
the forests is limited. 

About nine miles above Newcastle we passed a 
large lumber station, called " Parker's," where quan- 
tities of timber are " boomed " (that is, collected 
between " booms " previous to its being divided 
off into rafts or "joints"). This place swarmed 
with active-looking lumbermen, who amused them- 
selves with a wholesale abuse of our inoffensive 
Indians, who seemed accustomed to it, and took it 
very coolly. The skill displayed by these lumbermen 
in their vocation is really wonderful ; they are said 
to be able to shoot a rapid standing on a single log, 
with no other aid but a pole to steer it with. One 
of their favourite amusements is for two of them to 
take up a position one on each end of a floating log, 
and then to spin it round with their feet, trying 
which shall turn the other off into the water. This 
is often done for a bet, the survivor receiving the 
wager. It is said that sometimes the log is made 



82 Wander 1710^5 in tJie Western Land. 



<b 



to spin so fast that you cannot see it revolve. To 
all appearances tliey are as mucli at liome on these 
mean and shifty fieds a Veau as we should be on 
a Thames barge. They wear high leather boots, 
and how they are not always taking involuntary 
headers must be a problem to every one who has 
only occasionally tried the slippery, treacherous 
footing of a floating log, which apparently has but 
one object, and that is, to pitch one into the river 
with all possible despatch. 

About five miles further down, the river is spanned 
by a fine though slender iron bridge, on which runs 
the Intercolonial Railway. A little beyond this and 
the North-West branch of this grand Miramichi river 
unites with that on which, we have been voyaging, 
namely, the Great South- West branch. The name 
" Miramichi " is said to be of Indian origin, probably 
derived from some old Indian tribe which has been 
driven back before civilization, and has now ceased 
to exist. The present Indians call it in their own 
language " The Little Resticouclie." 

Newcastle reached, and our enjoyable canoe 

voyage was over. We had here to separate ; D 

and Dr. Morgan turning their faces again towards 
the hunting-grounds of Nova Scotia, whilst I was 
obliged to desert them, and — after a few days more 
hunting in New Brunswick in the neighbourhood 
of Aulac — to betake myself to Quebec, en route to 
the Rocky Mountains. 



CHAPTER VI. 

" Amidst the clamour of exulting joys, 
Which triumph forces from the patriot heart, 
Grief dares to mingle her soul-piercing voice. 
And quells the raptures which from pleasure start. 

" "Wolfe, to thee a streaming flood of woe 
Sighing we pay, and think e'en conquest dear j 
Quebec in vain shall teach our breast to glow, 
Whilst thy sad fate extorts the heart-wrung tear. 

" Alive, the foe thy dreadful vigour fled. 
And saw thee fall with joy-pronouncing eyes ; 
Yet they shall know thou conquerest, though dead ! 
Since from thy tomb a thousand heroes rise." 

Goldsmith's stanzas on the " Taking of Quebec." 

On the rail — Quebec — Situation — History — AVolfe's Victory — 
Citadel — Garrison — Falls of Montmorency — Afloat again — 
Montreal — ^The Lachine Eapids — Toronto — Niagara — The 
Falls and surroundings — A perilous voyage — Fascination of 
the locality. 

The distance from Newcastle (or, as it pleases the 
existing railway officials to call it, " Miramichi 
Station") to Quebec is 422 miles, which is per- 
formed by the express in seventeen hours. Some 
of the journey is extremely picturesque, especially 
that portion where the line runs along the fine 
salmon river, the Resticouche, and again where it 
skirts the magnificent Gulf of St. Lawrence, here 

G 2 



84 Wanderings in the Western Land. 

about forty miles across. From tlie station called 
Batliurst, good fishing is to be got in the proper 
season, but before embarking on this sport, all the 
preparations possible should be made against the 
mosquito and the blackfly, which, from what I 
heard, and from the appearance of a certain lover 
of the rod I accidentally met in these parts, even 
thus late in the season — the middle of September — 
must be something awful, and must preclude any 
but pachyderms from enjoying themselves. As we 
proceeded on our journey, the names of the stations 
on the line speak of the aborigines and of the 
nationality of the early settlers. The stations 
"Assamet quaghan," "Amqui,"and "Sayabec," leave 
no doubt of their Indian origin ; and " Trois Pis- 
toles," " Isle Yerte," and " Riviere du Loup," are 
as distinctly French. At the last-named station we 
leave the Intercolonial Railway system and get on 
to the Grand Trunk, which conveys us for 126 
miles through a country of old French settlers to 
Point Levi, opposite Quebec, on the river St. Law- 
rence, whence a good steam ferry carries passen- 
gers across in about ten minutes to the town of 
Quebec. 

What a charming, quaint old French town this 
is ! — far more French than English, and built on 
such a steep hillside, that it's a wonder that the 
inhabitants are not always on the roll down the hill, 
and all of a heap at the bottom. It is picturesquely 
situated on the peninsula dividing the rivers St. 
Charles and St. Lawrence, and terminating with Cape 
Diamond 350 feet above their w^aters. The streets in 
the old part of the town are narrow and closed in by 
high houses. In hard winters, when the snow is 



Quebec — History — Sights. 85 

deep, the " way " (or wliat the Germans would call 
the " Bahn ") on which the sleighs travel is so high 
above the normal level, that the occupants of these 
vehicles can look comfortably into the first floor 
windows ; what becomes of the front doors and " side 
walks " (pavements), I cannot imagine, except that 
they are dispensed with altogether during the winter. 

Quebec was founded by Samuel de Champlain on 
July 3rd, 1608, and was surrendered to Admiral 
Kirk in 1629; it was returned to the French in 
1632, and unsuccessfully besieged by Admiral 
Phipps in 1690. After this came Wolfe's cele- 
brated victory on September 13th, 1759. Since 
then we have been left in possession of this bone of 
contention. But I do not mean to do guide-book ; 
the past of this quaint old city is far too well known, 
neglected as history is, or at any rate used to be, 
in our English education. I will, however, mention 
some of the " sights " which struck me most during 
the few days T spent here. 

First, the citadel, from which a magnificent view 
is to be obtained of the city and its surroundings. 
A couple of hundred feet below flows the grand 
river St. Lawrence, boasting a fair amount of ship- 
ping, and entirely commanded from this position. 
On the slope, between us and the river, is the 
main portion of the town ; the lowest part is, to a 
great extent, inhabited by the French-speaking- 
citizens. On the opposite side of the river is the ter- 
minus of the Grand Trunk Railway — Point Levi, — 
which system is in connection with those of the 
Great Western and the Intercolonial Railways. Pas- 
sengers to or from England pass over the Grand 
Trunk and Intercolonial lines, embarking, or dis- 



86 Wanderiitgs in the Western Land. 

embarking, as the case may be, at Rimouski, where 
steam tenders ply between the shore and the ocean 
steamers. 

The view up the river takes in the well-known 
Heights of Abraham, on which the gallant Wolfe 
achieved his memorable victory. The British force 
engaged in these operations against Quebec consisted 
of a fleet of twenty-two line-of-battle ships and 
twenty-one frigates, under the command of Admiral 
Saunders, and a land force of ten battalions of infantry 
and some artillery. The French had about 10,000 
men, about half of whom were regulars, and the rest 
recently raised conscripts from the provinces, under 
the command of the Marquis de Montcalm. General 
Wolfe, finding that his small force of some 8000 men 
would be exposed to too great a loss in landing under 
the fire of the citadel, had it conveyed in boats up 
the river and past the forts, during the night of the 
12th September. By aid of mufiled oars and the 
darkness of the night, they escaped the observation 
of the French sentries, and landed about a mile 
above, at the mouth of a small ravine which is now 
called " Wolfe's Cove." It was not till the landing 
had been effected that the French garrison were 
made aware of the attack. Then followed a stub- 
born, hard-fought battle along the elevated plateau, 
of which the citadel forms the terminating point, a 
feigned assault from another direction having been 
planned and carried out to favour this, the real 
attack. The French lost about 1500 men. Their 
commander-in-chief was wounded and died shortly 
afterwards, and the two generals next in command 
were killed on the spot. The loss of those who 
should have led them in further efforts to repel the 



Quebec — Wolf e' s victory . '^'j 

assailants, so paralyzed and demoralized the gar- 
rison that they surrendered the next morning. 
We lost about 600 men, and had to lament the 
brave hero who so successfully commanded our 
forces, besides many other gallant officers. A grate- 
ful country has erected a monument to General 
Wolfe on the spot where he fell, consisting of a 
mean, poor-looking column, Avitli a fireman's helmet 
on the top, truly despicable in taste, and paltry in 
the extreme, to commemorate so great a hero. 

To my civilian eye, the citadel still appears 
assailable from this side. Nature has made it 
so, and the science of war does not seem to have 
done as much as it might to counteract this natural 
defect in the position. The so-called " Heights " 
appear as elevated as the citadel itself, and if 
guns could be got into position on them, it would 
be a duel on equal terms. The present garrison 
consists of about 200 men of the Dominion Artillery; 
the right wing of which is English-speaking and 
commanded in English, while the left wing speaks 
French and is commanded in that language — an 
arrangement which might, I should imagine, lead to 
considerable difficulties and misunderstandings in 
action. They appeared a soldierlike lot, especially 
the right wing. The men enlist for three years, 
receiving fifty cents (2s.) per day, all found, and the 
service is popular. Being in garrison here, seems to 
be much the same as going through a School of 
Instruction with us, great attention being given to 
the scientific training of the men. The present 
armament consists of some Pallisser rifled 68-poun- 
ders, a few Armstrong 7-inch breachloaders, and a 
great many old 24-lbs. smooth bores and mortars. 



88 IVandcrings in the Western Land. 

I gathered here, as elsewhere, that so loyal are the 
people and so popular is the red coat, that as far as 
men are concerned, an ample supply of the very 
best description could be obtained from the Do- 
minion, in case of the " old country " being involved 
in war. 

Another sight well worth visiting, whether in 
summer or winter, are the Falls of Montmorency, 
situated about eight miles from Quebec. The 
distance is just right for an agreeable drive, and the 
Quebeckers seem to agree in this, judging by the 
crowds of people we saw enjoying themselves there. 
A good road crosses the little river or brook within 
a hundred yards of where it precipitates itself over 
a ledge of limestone on to the rocks 230 feet below. 
By the time the water reaches the bottom, it is 
pretty well all spray, having been broken up by the 
pointed rocks, which start out from the perpendicular 
face. It is well worth while, at the cost of a little 
fatigue, to descend the 305 wooden steps which lead 
to the pool at the bottom, and to have a look up 
from below at the magnificent falls. It is here that 
in winter the sport of " tibogging " is indulged in, 
on the mound of frozen spray which accumulates at 
the bottom of the fall. This amusement consists in 
a man seating himself on a shaped board with a 
companion behind him, on the top edge of the ice 
mound ; the board is pushed over the edge, and 
down it shoots along the sharply inclined, smooth 
and frozen surface, being guided only by a small 
stick in the hands of the after-passenger. If the 
board — as it is always inclined to do — gets broadside 
on, a fearful cropper ensues. It sounds somewhat a 
dangerous amusement, but I am told it is not 



Quebec to MontrcaL 89 

so, and that the enjoyment and excitement are 
intense. 

Before turning homewards to Quebec, the curious 
platforms or stages formed by the layers of the 
calcareous schist rock, in the gorge above the road, 
should be visited. At this time of year, the colour- 
ing of the foliage is such as not to be believed by 
any who have not themselves seen the North 
American forest when the leaf is falling, and the 
hardwoods are all contributing their peculiar tints 
to the gorgeous, yet perfectly harmonious, masses of 
colour. 

Quebec may be said to be standing still as regards 
growth of population. The census of 1871 shows 
even a slight falling off on that of 1861, the actual 
figures being 59,699 in 1871 against 59,990 in 1861, 
and the general appearance of the whole town 
quite conveys the idea of its having seen its most 
populous, if not its best days. 

I had now joiued my nephew Loyd, and as he was 
in the army, and his leave but short, we were 
very anxious to get to work on the happy hunting- 
grounds of the Far West, with as little delay as 
possible. Accordingly rapid travelling was the 
order of the day, and this we combined with seeing 
as much en route as we could. The distance by 
water from Quebec to Montreal is 187 miles, which 
is got over almost as expeditiously as by the land 
route. Travelhng by steamer in America has cer- 
tainly the advantage of being far more comfortable 
than any railway, so we gave the water carriao-e the 
preference. The service is performed by a fine line 
of paddle, or " side-wheel," boats, built on the 
American model, regular three-deckers, and very 



90 Wande7'-ings in the Western Land. 

fast. They draw about eight and a half feet 
of water, and considering their size, seem very 
easily handled. The accommodation is capitally ar- 
ranged, for, besides a large dining-saloon, and 
drawing-room, a great many good sleeping-cabins 
or " state rooms " are provided. We went on 
board at Quebec at five o'clock one evening, and 
the next morning at six o'clock found ourselves at 
Montreal, having in the meantime passed a com- 
fortable and uneventful night. The St. Lawrence, 
up which we had steamed during the still hours of 
the night, is certainly a magnificent river, being 
often two miles in breadth, but as far as scenery 
is concerned I fancy the traveller loses nothing in 
passing over it in the dark. Resides the river 
proper, the lake called " St. Peter's " is traversed 
for about thirty miles. It is very shallow, but 
by dredging extensively the large ocean steamers 
and sailing ships are enabled to pass up through 
it to Montreal. The whole course is well lighted, 
and every precaution seems to be taken to make the 
navigation as safe as practicable. 

A long day spent at this fine and fast increasing 
city enabled us to see something of its attractions, 
and to accomplish one very pleasing though short 
excursion, namely, shooting the rapids of Lachine 
on the St. Lawrence. A train by the Grand Trunk 
Railway at 7 a.m. is timed to arrive at Lachine 
(nine miles higher up the river) in time for the first 
down steamboat in the morning. Here you embark, 
and in a very short time the rapid water begins. 
The whole huge river goes bounding and swirling 
down a narrow channel, with rocks protruding in 
close proximity on each side, and as the fall, or 



The Rapids of LacJiinc — Montreal. 91 

difference of elevation, is said to be eighty-two feet 
in three miles, and most of this occurs in a very 
limited distance, there is more reality about it than in 
tourists' excitements generally. The little steamer 
•' Beaucharnais " is treated by the surging waters 
very much as if it were a child's toy-boat, and four 
men at the wheel and two at the tiller testify to the 
necessity of additional care and precautions. But 
as in many other cases besides that of the individual 
who first ate an eo-o- the first man who tried this 
amusement was the real plucky one. This pluck 
or "grit" (as it is here aptly called) must have 
descended on the hardy voyageurs who now so 
merrily shoot these rapids on the small sections of 
open rafts, which are disunited above and put to- 
gether again below when the descent is accomplished. 
We were only two hours absent from Montreal on 
this enjoyable little excursion, which far exceeded 
my expectations. 

Before leaving by the night express for Toronto, 
we drove through the city up to top of the so- 
called " Mountain," a hill of trap rock rising 500 
feet directly behind the towm. It is devoted to the 
public as a sort of people's park, and commands a 
most charming view of the city and neighbourhood. 

The rapid growth of Montreal is remarkable even 
in this country. In 1829 there is said to have been 
scarcely a wharf here ; now great lengths of quays 
line the fine river, and alongside of them masses of 
shipping load and discharge their merchandise to 
and from all parts of the world. The city is built 
on an island formed by the St. Lawrence and a 
branch of the Ottawa. 

In the spring of 1849 Montreal was the scene of a 



92 Wanderings in the Western Land. 

serious riot, during which the ParHament House 
was attacked and destroyed. The cause of the dis- 
turbance was said to be that the mass of the people 
believed the existing Parliament to be too French in 
its composition. 

This city can boast many very important buildings, 
amongst which is a fine Roman Catholic cathedral, 
called Notre Dame. A second cathedral is in course 
of erection which is to be exactly similar in plan, so it 
is said, to St. Peter's at Rome. From this it may be 
inferred that the Roman Catholics are both very 
numerous and wealthy. Nearly two-thirds of the 
population of 110,000 are French-speaking, and 
so most probably Roman Catholics. In Quebec, the 
proportion is even larger; I was told, on good 
authority, that in that city there were eight Roman 
Catholics to one Protestant. Amongst the sights of 
Montreal is a magnificent stone railway bridge, 
which is, with the usual Canadian loyalty, called the 
Victoria Bridge. 

A night in a Pullman's " sleeper," and the morn- 
ing found us far on the way to Toronto, which was 
reached before midday. This city of 56,000 in- 
habitants is more English-looking than any I have 
seen since I landed. The natives pride themselves 
on their English-like customs and habits, and there 
is said to be a strong Yorkshire element in this 
place, which may account for a John Bullism which 
exists here more than anywhere else in Canada, and 
which shows itself in times of peace in a readiness to 
come to blows among themselves, and when the war 
cloud approaches, in no reluctance to have a turn 
with their old enemies across the borders, utterly 
disregardless of any disproportion of numbers. At 



Toronto — On Lake Ontario. 93 

the time of the Trent affair this feeling came out 
most strongly, and many loyal inhabitants were 
greatly disappointed when the difficulty between the 
mother country and the United States was amicably 
settled. At that crisis a loyal enthusiasm burst forth 
all over Canada. The very idea of the old flag being 
insulted seemed to have raised a fierce enthusiasm 
far and wide, and a declaration of war would have 
been most popular, however much this town and 
the surrounding countiy itself would have suffered, 
at any rate at the commencement of hostilities. 

From being situated on the shores of Lake 
Ontario, this fine and growing city has easy water 
communication with Montreal and other towns 
situated on the St. Lawrence and on the shores of 
the line of lakes, and with these it carries on a large 
and increasing commerce. 

A short voyage of thirty-six miles, across the 
western end of Lake Ontario, in an old blockade - 
runner called the " Southern Belle," brought us to 
the town of Niagara, situated on the left and 
Canadian side of the river of that name where it 
runs into the lake. On board the steamer I fell 
in with a Colonel Denison, who had had command of 
the volunteer cavalry at the time of the last Fenian 
raids, a most enthusiastic and scientific soldier. He 
had just carried off the great prize of about 800/. 
offered by the Grand Duke Constantino of Russia, 
aud open to all the world, for the best treatise on 
the employment of cavalry in modern warfare — a 
very great achievement for any regular officer, how 
much more then for a volunteer ? I found him most 
communicative and full of information, and, as usual, 
anxious in every way to promote one's pleasure. 



94 lVande7'i}igs in the JVcslcnt Land. 

On the American side, opposite tlie old town, is 
Fort Niagara, over which floats the Stars and 
Stripes. It is still a fort, but no longer of any real 
importance in a military point of view. In former 
days this was the scene of many a hard fought 
skirmish. Nearly opposite and within easy range 
of artillery on the Canadian side, are the remains 
of the ancient earthwork of Fort Mississagua. At 
no great distance from here is the monument 
erected to the memory of the great hero of Upper 
Canada, Sir Isaac Brock. In 1841, some miserable 
wretches tried to destroy this tribute of honour to 
one of the bravest of men, but fortunately the 
attempt was only partially successful. 

A short bit of rail, and we were landed at a 
small station about half a mile from the " Clifton 
House," which is a good hotel on the Canadian side, 
and from which a fine view of the great Falls of 
Niagara is obtained. Even before the railway sta- 
tion is reached clouds of spray and a dull roar pro- 
claim the proximity to this colossal work of nature. 
The reader need not be afraid that I am going to 
attempt to describe its appalling vastness ; it would 
be impossible for even the most gifted to do any- 
thing like justice to it. It must be visited to be 
appreciated, and then I cannot conceive how even 
the most sanguine can be disappointed. Even if 
looked at, as it were, from a money-making point of 
view (as one gentleman I met in America seemed to 
have regarded it, who asked me "if it was not a 
pity so much mechanical power was allowed to run 
waste ") — even then, I say, the very rough guess 
rather than calculation of its powers which would 
result could do nothing but increase the feeling of 



Niagara. 95 

almost reverence for its mighty power. Dry figures 
are only obstructions to enjoyment on such occasions, 
so I will avoid them as much as possible ; but it 
may convey some idea of the grandeur when we 
know that over the Horse Shoe Fall alone more 
than fifteen hundred million cubic feet of water 
passes per hour, and that the Fall is about 164 feet 
sheer down, with a depth of over sixteen feet of 
water on the ledge of rock from which it falls. The 
American Fall is 300 yards across, and perhaps 
about one third smaller than the Horse Shoe, being 
separated from it by Goat Island, which is about 
150 yards across ; but no real ideas can be con- 
veyed by such details, and it is all too unlike what 
can be seen elsewhere, as far as I know, to admit 
of comparing it with other waterfalls. 

We spent the best part of two days here ; but 
that time is miserably insufficient and unsatisfactory ; 
every point above and below the Falls is well worth 
visiting, for although, as might be thought, from the 
short distance between the show places, that there 
must be a great similarity between them, yet this 
is not the case, and there always appears some new 
view or some new combination of views at every 
fresh point of observation. 

The river is very swift for some distance above 
the Falls, even before the so-called rapids com- 
mence. About a mile and a half above is a 
ferry, and boats, through accident or improper 
management, have been swept down even from that 
distance above. Whatever goes over the Horse Shoe 
Falls is generally found — or rather its remains are 
— in the so-called " Whirlpool," about one and a half 
miles below, but when anything goes over the 



96 Wanderings in the Western Land. 

American Fall it is generally smashed up and arrested 
amongst the many rocks at the foot. The Rapids 
above the Falls are wild and grand in the extreme, 
whether you see them from Goat Island or from the 
mainland, or the smaller islands of "Cynthia" or 
" Log," on the Canadian side. One's ideas of rapids 
are altogether out of joint when one comes to see 
these ; they are more like a strong race of tide at sea, 
or in some of the kyles on the West coast of Scotland, 
than anything else I have ever seen. Nothing could 
have a chance against them ; all must give way 
before the tearing irresistible power, and be carried 
on in the foaming, surging torrent to the awful 
plunge. 

Goat Island is reached from the American side, 
by a bridge to Luna Island (on which is placed, alas ! 
a large paper factory), and a second suspension 
bridge hence completes the distance. It is well 
wooded, and very charmiug, abounding, especially on 
the side towards the Horse Shoe Falls, with beau- 
tiful peeps of the Falls and Rapids. The " Sister 
Islands" — connected with Goat Island by small 
suspension bridges — are also well worth visiting. 

The view of the Falls from Prospect Point, in the 
Park on the American side, is certainly one of the 
finest and most extensive. Also from the very 
fine suspension bridge connecting the two countries, 
about half a mile below the Falls, a very compre- 
hensive and instructive view is obtained. This 
bridge has a span of 410 yards, and is 256 feet 
above the surface of the boiling river below. It is 
a fine specimen of engineering skill, even for this 
country, which is full of scientific triumphs over 
great natural difiiculties. It is worth while to cross 



Niagara—'' The " Maid of the Mistr 9 7 

in tlie ferry-boat underneath the Falls, which, by 
taking advantage of the eddies, can be rowed across 
by one man within a quarter of a mile of the Falls 
themselves. 

A short distance below, the magnificent river 
again tears away at a terrific pace, as if it had not 
already had enough of it, and the rapids here are 
even more terrific and fascinatinsf than those above. 

" The fall of waters ! rapid as the light, 
The flashing mass foams shaking the abyss ; 
The hell of waters ! where they howl and liiss 
And boil in endless torture." 

" Childe Harold" Byron. 

It was down these fearful rapids that six years ago 
the little steamer, the " Maid of the Mist," made her 
wonderful voyage, merely to escape from the sheriffs' 
officer. It appears that her captain and owner, 
Robinson, was about to lose her for debt. On learn- 
ing what was to happen Robinson told the engineer 
to get up steam, not informing him or any one else 
what he was going to attempt. Casting loose, away 
he started down the river, taking the helm himself. 
It is said that the puny craft was at times buried in 
the surging torrent, and that everybody thought she 
must be lost, but Robinson got her through all right 
and saved her from the myrmidons of the law. The 
strain on his nerves, however, was so great that he 
never got over it, and he died last year, by no means 
an old man. The little steamer had to pass through 
the far-famed " Whirlpool," and this part of her short 
but fearful voyage is looked upon as more wonderful 
than even the descent of the Rapids. 

The water in the centre of the Whirlpool is said 
to be eleven and a half feet higher than at the sides, 

H 



98 Wandermgs in the Wcsteini Land. 

being forced up by the confining banks. The 
scenery in the neighbourhood is magnificent ; the 
grand river, foaming and boihng as in a cauldron, 
is driven through a gorge of splendid limestone 
cliffs, wooded and green wherever there is sufficient 
hold for soil to accumulate. When we visited this 
spot the carcase of a wretched horse was being 
made sport of in the swirling eddies ; at one moment 
it was thrown high up above the surface of the 
current ; at the next, it was hidden from view in 
the boiling waters ; round and round it spun, never 
apparently getting nearer the edge of the circular 
power of the Whirlpool, and how it was ever to 
escape out of the vortex of this awful trap, and to 
resume its dreary voyage down the rushing, roaring 
river, remained to us an unsolved enigma. 

The gorge through which the river runs below 
the Falls is only 300 feet wide, whereas the breadth 
of water above them is said to be over a mile : this 
hemming in of the waters, together with the steep 
gradient, causes the striking phenomena of the Rapids 
and the Whirlpool, both worthy sequences to the 
glorious Falls themselves. 

I should have liked to have linscered on here some 
days ; the natural surroundings are so magnificent 
and grand, and I can quite understand any amount 
of enthusiasm about them ; they had much the same 
effect upon my mind as the ocean or perpetual snow 
mountains. The sense of Nature's power is so ever 
present and overwhelming. One reflects how this 
colossal force has been exerted from the creation 
until now without any cessation ; the same incessant 
flow of irresistible power has rushed on year after 
year, and season after season, perfectly independent of 



Niagara — E /feels and hnprcssions. 99 

our poor littlo outsido world; ;uid the iliou<^]ifc iliat 
they will so continue as long as the world lasts, fills 
the mind with an overpowering sense of the gi-cat- 
ness of Nature and the littleness of man. 

I quite believe in the fascinating effect the Falls 
are said to produce on beings of enthusiastic 
temperaments. Amongst the many stories told of 
such cases is one of a delicately-nurtured youth who 
lived in the woods on Goat's Island for many a 
month through the fierce heat of summer and the 
intense cold of a North American winter, never able 
to tear himself away from the sight of his belovcnl 
Falls. One day his little hut was empty, and he 
was found drowned in their waters. 

We had much to do and see, however, and only a 
very short time still at oui' disposal, especially for 
my companion, so were obliged to be off, lio[)ing 
before wc* returned to England to have another look 
at the Falls, which might then be in their wint(M' 
garb. 



ri ii 



CHAPTER VII. 

" And the palpitating engines snort and steam across the 
acres." — 3ffs. Browning, *' Lady Geraldine! s Courtship." 

" These are the gardens of the desert, these 
The unshorn fields, boundless and beautiful, 
For which the speech of England has no name, 

The prairies 

" Lo, they stretch 
In ahy undulations far away. 
As if the ocean in his gentlest swell 
Stood still, with all his rounded billows fixed. 
And motionless for ever." 

" Tlie Prairies;' W^n. C. Bryant. 

Hamilton— Detroit, the frontier town — Chicago — Population — 
Trade — Away again — Across the Continent — Omaha — Build- 
ings — Indians — Population — " Then Westward ho ! " — The 
Union Pacific Eailroad — History and construction — The 
Prairie — The Old Emigrant Road — Early wayfarers — " Bones 
that bleach in the sunshine " — Indian attacks — Train robbery 
— Cattle — Their owners and attendants — The Prairie Dog — 
Cheyenne — History — " Stage tapping " — The Black-hills of 
Dakotah — Indians and their reservations — The Denver Pacific 
line — Greely — Denver. 

" Taking the cars," we hurried on by the Canadian 
Great Western express to the rising town of Hamil- 
ton, situated at the western end of Lake Ontario. 
Here are the head-quarters of the Great Western 
Railway, apparently one of the best managed sys- 
tems in Canada. Our stay here was very short, and 
we were soon away again along the well-laid steel road 



Detroit — Chicago. i o i 

to Detroit. The whole train is here taken on board 
a large steam ferry-boat, and in this manner the 
frontier between Canada and the United States is 
crossed. No custom-house officials disturbed our 
repose, and the night was peacefully passed in the 
Wagner sleeping-car, in blissful ignorance, it might 
have been, of having taken so important and vexa- 
tious a step, in a European's eyes, as entering 
another country, with its own customs and duties. 
Our meals are well served in a dining-car attached 
to the train, to which access is obtained between 
certain hours for breakfast, dinner, and supper. 
The passenger is thus able not only to fare well, but 
at his leisure. 

About forty-four hours' incessant travelling from 
Niagara found us at that marvel of modern 
cities, Chicago ; and truly it is a marvel w^hen we 
consider that it is only six years ago since it was 
almost totally destroyed by fire, and that now 
it is not only rebuilt to its former size, but is 
superior in every way to what it was before the 
terrible disaster. Splendid wide streets, full of 
excellent " stores," public buildings, gigantic ware- 
houses, and colossal ofl&ces, are to be seen in every 
direction. Nor do these edifices seem to have 
been run up in the cheapest and most expeditious 
manner, as we too often see at home, but they are 
apparently really good, solid, "square" buildings, on 
which both time and money have been spent. Not- 
withstanding the awful fire, the population increased 
in the decade in which it occurred, from 224,251 in 
1866 to 407,061 in 1876, and the debt of Chicago is 
still very far less in proportion to its size than that 
of most large towns in the United States. 



I02 Wanderings in the Western Land. 

The main staples of trade seem to be grain, and 
live and dead stock. From its situation on Lake 
Michigan, a very large and prosperous shipping 
trade is carried on with the eastern cities, and this 
young " Queen of the West " is said now to inter- 
fere somewhat seriously in many markets with old- 
established New York, notwithstanding the many 
advantages which seniority must give to the latter. 
Here has been carried out to a large extent the 
essentially American idea of raising bodily not only 
the houses, but even the streets; and, strange as it 
may sound, this process has not unfrequently been 
accomplished without any interruption to the every- 
day work. 

But I must not dwell longer on Chicago, or 
attempt to describe a city now so well-known. 
Our stay was of the briefest description, and in a 
very few hours we were steaming away again to- 
wards the banks of the transparent Mississippi and 
its muddy-complexioned sister, the Missouri. I 
cannot say that the railway journey across this 
great continent is particularly interesting, beyond 
the undeniable fact of seeing so much that is new 
and strange to our English eyes. Points of great 
novelty and interest there unquestionably are, but 
on the whole, the journey is wearisome and mono- 
tonous, until the long breadth of prairie beyond 
Omaha is passed, and the mountain ranges forming 
the back-bone of the continent are reached beyond 
Cheyenne. The Mississippi is crossed near Bur- 
lington, about ten hours from Chicago. It is truly 
a magnificent river, clear and rapid, and contrasts 
very favourably with the dirty, sluggish, and 
erratic Missouri, which is reached twelve hours 



Omaha — Population — Military position. 1 03 

afterwards at Omalia. Two sections of the iron 
railway bridge over the latter were under repair, 
having been literally blown down in a hurricane a 
short time ago. This scarcely sounds well for the 
stability of the structure, but nobody seemed to take 
much notice of it, or to think it signified. 

Omaha, the capital of the State of Nebraska, has 
40,000 inhabitants, and possesses some fair-looking 
edifices. Amongst the most imposing are the Roman 
Catholic Cathedral and the High School. According 
to the di4ver — who was conveying us to church during 
the few hours' stoppage here on a Sunday morning — 
the town is deficient in churches, for that it " had 
run into schools, and that the churches w^ere awful 
mean." 

Here are the head-quarters of the Platte Military 
District, which can muster all told about 1,000 troops. 
We came across here the first red Indians we had 
seen since entering the States. They were of the 
once formidable but now almost extinct Omaha 
tribe ; not striking-looking individuals in any way, 
spare and diminutive in stature, and very dirty, and 
they looked, poor fellows, as if they would be more 
at home in their native blankets than in the worn- 
out civilized clothing which now covered them. 
Their reservation is but a short distance from the 
town, and the fifty representatives of the tribe— all 
that now remains — occupy themselves in fishing 
and shooting, obtaining thereby a bare and very 
precarious existence. My informant's opinion of 
Indians was very summar}^, and as it is shared in 
by most of the inhabitants of the west, I give it in 
sometliing like his own laconic language. " The boys 
in blue," he said (i. e. the troops), " are too kind to 



I04 IVandej'in^s in the Western Land. 

tliem Indians ; tliey want the settlers and ranchmen 
to deal with them ; there is nothing for it but to 
shoot them down." Another western man said to 
me that he " never believed in an honest Indian 
until he was dsad." 

Omaha contained in 1865 only 4,500 inhabitants; 
in 1875 the population had increased to 20,000, a 
fair specimen of the manner in which these western 
towns grow when situated on the highways across 
the continent. The train stopped here three hours ; 
when again under way we entered on a more i^e- 
cently " settled up " country, and in a short time 
were running along the valley of the Platte, but 
although this interesting and important river was 
often close to us, we very seldom caught even a 
glimpse of it. This part of the country is very 
productive, and realizes to sell from $3 to $10 
(12s. to 2L) per acre, which is considered a high 
price out here. 

And now that we are fairly embarked on that 
great line of railway which especially unites the At- 
lantic with the Pacific, it may perhaps interest my 
readers to learn something about its origin and con- 
struction. The colossal project had been mooted 
many years before any steps were actually taken to 
carry it into effect. It might have remained in the 
future for many a year longer, had not the Civil War 
broken out, when it became most desirable, as a 
matter of national policy, to connect the Western 
with the Eastern States by more rapid communica- 
tion than the old stage-coach lines. The Govern- 
ment of the day, being fully aUve to the desirability of 
getting the railroad completed with the least possible 
delay, granted most favourable terms to the pro- 



The Union Pacific Railroad. 105 

meters and constructors. I believe tliey guaranteed 
tlie stock, and subsidized very largely in the usual 
American manner of granting to the companies 
every alternate mile of country passed through for a 
depth or breadth of twenty miles. Two companies 
set to work to construct the line ; the Central 
Pacific Railroad Company started eastwards from 
San Francisco; the Union Pacific Railroad Com- 
pany set out westwards from Omaha. The actual 
work of construction began about the commence- 
ment of 1866, and the line was completed in May, 
1869. As the Government subsidy was so very 
liberal, the rivalry between the two companies 
became intense as to which should construct the 
largest portion and thus obtain the greatest share 
of the country passed through. From Omaha to San 
Francisco is 1,915 miles; but the Central Pacific Com- 
pany, by taking advantage of the carriage by water 
afforded by the Sacramento River from San Fran- 
cisco, was enabled to make Sacramento their first 
base of operations, and thus establish their starting- 
point 140 miles nearer the other. The number of 
miles to be laid was in this way reduced to 1,775 
miles. Both companies had at first great difiiculties 
to contend with, but as far as I could judge the Cen- 
tral Pacific had by far the most expensive and difficult 
portion of the road as their portion. The whole of 
their rails, fish-plates, spikes, and other iron work 
had to be brought round by sea from the Eastern 
States to San Francisco, and they had to contend 
with very great engineering difficulties at an early 
stage of their career, in crossing the Sierra Nevada. 
The Union Pacific had also at first to pay very dearly 
for their materials ; even their sleepers (or, as they 



io6 Wanderings in the Western Laiid. 

are called here, " ties ") had to be brought from the 
far-off States of Michigan and Pennsylvania. But 
on the other hand they had more prairie to travel 
over, which may well account for the final result, 
namely, that of the 1,775 miles which had altogether 
to be constructed, the Union Pacific Company were 
able to place to their credit 1,085 miles before the 
rails met each other on 10th May, 1869, at Pro- 
montory, a station in Utah, fifty-three miles to the 
west of Ogden. 

The work of construction was carried on by per- 
fisct armies of navvies and roughs, all of them armed, 
on account of the Indians and of one another, and, 
if half the stories be true, they had more to fear 
from themselves than from the onslaughts of the 
dreaded Sioux. As might be supposed, there were 
here gathered together desperadoes from all parts of 
the world, who, whatever were their crimes, were safe 
here from the hand of justice. The consequence was 
that, during out-of-work time, gambling, drinking, 
and every sort of vice used to be rife, accompanied 
as usual by quarrelling, brawling, and what is called 
out here " shootings." Vigilance Committees were 
formed wherever any small settlement was established 
on the line of progress, and endeavoured to maintain 
some sort of order and regard for meuiri and tuum, 
by a most liberal exercise of Lynch law. Two 
waggons, drawn up alongside one another, with the 
two poles placed upright and lashed fast at the top, 
would form an effective and speedily-constructed 
gallows. But notwithstanding these social draw- 
backs, progress was the order of the day ; more 
than seven miles of railroad have been known to be 
laid in one day by the Union Pacific Company, 



Union Pacific Railroad— history of construction. 107 

and I see in that interesting and instructive guide- 
book by Williams, tliat even this has been ex- 
ceeded by the Central Pacific Company, who, on 
the 29th of April, 1869, laid and finished in twenty- 
four hours, fit for the locomotive to pass over, no 
less than ten miles of road. To feed these advancing 
armies was of course a matter of grave consideration, 
but fortunately the country passed through was 
generally covered with buffalo grass, on which the 
cattle did well, so that as long as they were on the 
prairies, as far as meat was concerned, all they had 
to do was to have sufficient herds moving alongside 
of them, and to see to the numbers being properly 
kept up. When the Rocky Mountains were reached, 
game played no inconsiderable a part in the com- 
missariat department. Men were told ofi" to hunt, 
and elk (as the wapiti are here called) and deer, in 
addition to the prong-horned antelope of the 
prairies, were brought to the camps in great 
quantities. One mountain on the left of the line, 
beyond Laramie, still bears the name of " Elk Moun- 
tain " from the number of those grand animals which 
it supplied to the first constructors of the "U.P.," 
as this railroad is familiarly termed. But I must 
not weary my readers with more details on this 
matter ; if they care to know more about it, I must 
refer them to that handy little volume to which I 
have already alluded, namely, " Williams's Pacific 
Tourist and Guide across the Continent," published 
in 1877 in New York, moderate in price, and well 
worthy of possession. 

And now to return to our own experience of this 
line. For miles and miles we run alongside the old 
emigrant road leading to the fertile tracts of Colorado 



io8 Wanderings 271 the Western Land. 

and to the other Western States and territories. The 
mind may here picture to itself the many fearful 
encounters with the Indians which this road has 
witnessed ; the many scenes of desolation, despair, 
and woe in which the poor " played-out" emigrants 
have taken part on their way westward to the 
"promised land;" poor creatures! often bereft of 
their all by the Indians, or brought to a standstill 
by their stock failing, and left to die of starvation, 
thirst, and cold. The bleached bones of cattle and 
horses bear ghastly testimony to such episodes, and 
to the severe and disastrous struggles under which 
they have succumbed. Many a little mound of 
heaped-up earth and gravel may be observed on this 
dismal, dreary road, sometimes surmounted by a few 
bits of wood, sometimes without any mark at all, 
to denote the spot where a poor wayfarer has here 
at last found a resting-place for his weary, broken- 
down frame. 

What the early emigrants must have suffered on 
their awful journey of many weeks', aye months', 
duration, it is difficult for us to conceive. Before 
their destination could be reached, hundreds of miles 
of dreary, desolate prairie had to be traversed, 
sparse in herbage, wanting in water, and infested 
with hostile Indians, who hovered on their flanks, 
always ready to take advantage of any want of cau- 
tion, and to swoop down with devastating effect 
on the fated " outfits." Generally the emigrants 
travelled in large parties or caravans, sufficiently 
strong to present such a front that attacks were 
either not attempted, or were easily repulsed, and 
it is a source of great comfort in a hostile Indian 
country to know that the " redskins " will never 



TJie Early Emigj'ants — Indian attacks. 109 

attack if there is any likelilioocl of proportionate loss, 
whicli is regarded by them as bad generalship. But 
recklessness and disregard of ordinary precautions 
were very common amongst the early settlers, and, 
consequently, fearful scenes of massacre and misery 
are recorded. Nor did the Indians confine their 
attacks to the road caravans ; for on more than 
one occasion they have been known to make fierce 
onslaughts on the, at first dreaded, railway trains. 
Plum Creek (a station 230 miles west of Omaha) was 
the scene, in 1867, of one of the fiercest of these 
attacks, when a party of Cheyenne Indians con- 
trived to upset a goods train by removing some of 
the rails. The vans and cars were at once sacked, 
and the contents made oS" with. Both the engine- 
driver and stoker fell victims, burnt and scalded 
to death by the upsetting of the locomotive. But 
vengeance speedily overtook the perpetrators; armed 
parties of whites and friendly Indians were quickly 
on the track, and in a very short time came up with 
and shot down the offending redskins. 

Nowadays the railroad is free from such dangers, 
and the traveller and emigrant can pass from one 
seaboard to the other, without the smallest risk of 
molestation by Indians. But it would seem as if 
security from the white " desperadoes " — as the 
roughs are here termed — is not quite so certain. 
Not a fortnight before we passed over this road 
the express train bound eastwards was stopped and 
plundered by a band of six rufiians, at a station 
called Big Spring, 361 miles west of Omaha. As 
this incident was most unusual and caused a good 
deal of sensation at the time, and as the attendant 
circumstances are characteristic of this far-off coun- 



I lo IVanderinos in the Western Land. 



<^ 



try, I will give a brief account of the occurrence. 
My information is gathered partly from hearsay, 
and partly from a small pamphlet recently published 
at Omaha, entitled, " Hands Up." 

The daily express train from San Francisco 
(called " No 4 " in the railway tables) is due at Big 
Spring at 10.48 p.m. By it are often sent large 
quantities of bullion and gold coin, the production 
of the gold-fields of California and the mines of 
Nevada. On the night of the 18th of September, 
the express car, which carries the " treasure," con- 
tained three boxes of twenty-dollar gold pieces — each 
box being worth about 4,000/. — and about 60,000/. 
in bullion. When the train arrived at Big Spring 
Station, six ruffians, who had previously overawed 
"the station-agent" (Angl., station-master), quietly 
took possession of the train. They wore black 
masks, and were well armed with six-shooters, of 
which they would no doubt have made a free use 
had they been opposed in their operations. It is 
difficult, however, to understand how only six men 
could rob a railway train, which consisted of several 
cars well filled with the rougher sex, without en- 
countering some resistance from some one. It can 
only be supposed that, the attack being in the 
night, the passengers and officials were half asleep, 
and that none of them knew how many " road 
agents " were at work, and that no one liked to 
encounter the first fire ; but whatever were the 
reasons, the results were that the express car was 
robbed of the 12,000/. of twenty-dollar pieces — the 
buUion being too heavy to pack — and the passengers 
were relieved of their personal valuables. The tra- 
vellers were systematically searched in their places 



A train robbeiy — The modus operandi. 1 1 1 

in tlie cars, all being compelled to bold tbeir bands 
up wbilst one of tbe robbers searcbed tbeir pockets, 
anotber of tbe gang superintending tbe process 
witb a cocked revolver. Two of tbe wayfarers 
happened to get out on to tbe platform for a breatb 
of fresh air, in ignorance of wbat was taking place 
inside, and were promptly ordered back " without a 
break " into tbe car. The sight of a levelled six- 
ghooter quickly convinced them that " tbe evening 
air was unhealthy, and that they had business 
inside." One of them, however, was not quick 
enough in bis movements to please the marauders, 
and a couple of shots were fired at him, to " hurry 
him up a bit," one of which grazed tbe side of bis 
left hand, tbe other lodging close to him in the 
woodwork of tbe car. He was then relieved of his 
watch and pocket-money. Tbe only carriage which 
escaped " tapping " was tbe sleeper. It appears 
that tbe conductor of this car knew there was 
something unusual going on, and shut tbe outside 
door, which locked with a catch. The robbers tried 
this door, but finding it locked, and the lights of an 
approaching goods train fortunately appearing just 
at the moment, they thought it advisable to be satis- 
fied with tbeir already ample booty, and to be "skip- 
ping." They quickly mounted their horses — which 
were left hobbled near tbe small station-bouse — 
and were soon away with the 240 pounds' weight of 
gold, besides the otber valuables. The station- 
master seems to have kept his wits about him, for 
as soon as be had got rid of his unwelcome visitors 
he set to work to repair the telegraph wires and 
apparatus, which they had taken the precaution to 
smash, and was able to pass a message on to the 



1 12 Wanderings in the Western Land. 

line to this effect, " No. 4 has been robbed at this 
station of $60,000." This was "heard" (telegraphy 
is worked by ear in America, instead of by sight, 
as with us) at Cheyenne and Omaha, and was 
at once acted upon, and 2,000/. reward was offered 
for the detection of the perpetrators. A superin- 
tendent of detectives, noted for what is here termed 
his " hang-to-itiveness," was soon on the spot, 
and luckily selected a young fellow named Leech, 
who followed up and stuck to his quarry quite 
alone, with a pertinacity worthy of his name, and 
with a courage truly remarkable. After striking 
the trail, he found that the "band" had travelled 
for some distance in company with some " cow 
boys " (Angl., herdsmen), who were driving cattle 
over the prairies. This slow rate of travelling 
enabled Leech to make up for time lost in start- 
ing in pursuit, and in a very few evenings he 
sighted their camp-fire. Dismounting and tethering 
his horse, Leech crept cautiously on, and finding 
all asleep, was able to get right in amongst them, 
and to recognize the whole of the party with- 
out being discovered. He then got quietly back to 
his horse, and sent the information to the authorities 
from the nearest ranclie. The next day he resumed 
the hunt, and in the evening repeated the exciting 
performance of stalking their camp-fire. This time 
they were all awake, and discussing the whole affair 
of robbing the train. They seemed not a little 
astonislied that no fight had been shown, but were 
very well satisfied with the results; to use their own 
gold-mining vernacular, they were glad " that it had 
panned out all right." They then went on to swear 
solemnly that if " corraled " (i.e. caught in a corral 



A train robbery— The leader disposed of. 113 

or joen, like cattle), " they would not be taken alive, 
but would turn their toes up with their boots on." 

Leech nearly got caught on this occasion through 
making a noise in getting back from his stalk, but 
was fortunately able to escape without being dis- 
covered. The next day he came suddenly on two of 
thera refreshing at a ranche, and had to ride for his 
life. This scare led to the dispersion of the gang ; 
they divided the gold, and separated forthwith. 
Leech kejjt on the trail of the leader, Collins, and 
another. A few days afterwards these two rode 
into the small station at Buffalo, on the Kansas 
Pacific Railroad, being then on their way to Texas. 
There happened to be a small detachment of United 
States cavalry near here, and the station-master 
suspecting who the new arrivals were, from the 
descriptions forwarded by Leech, put himself into 
communication with the sheriff and soldiers, who 
apprehended the strangers a short time after they 
had left the station. It is said that after they 
had surrendered, they attempted to draw their six- 
shooters, and that the sheriff and, soldiers, on seeing 
this, shot them down in self-defence. But be this 
as it may, only their lifeless bodies were brought 
back to the station. They had with them in a 
grain-sack 4,000/. in gold coin. 

Of the other four constituting the gang, I had 
only heard of one being accounted for before I left 
the country. He was shot down by the sheriff in 
Callaway county, Missouri, close to his own home. 

I have entered into the details of this little affair as 
it illustrates somewhat forcibly what may still occa- 
sionally occur even on the highways of this far-off: 
country. We might hear of the same sort of high- 

I 



1 14 Wanderings in the Western La7id. 

way robbery occurring within the last few years 
in Spain, or even in some parts of Italy, but, be it 
said to the credit of the western frontier man, and 
of the determined courage of the detective element, I 
doubt very much if in either of these old countries 
the perpetrators would have been hunted down and 
brought to justice so speedily and so deterrently as 
in the present instance. 

We passed the Big Spring Station early in the 
morning, and had no excitement to record beyond 
the fact that a short way further on, when looking 
out of my windoAV in the " sleeper," I saw some 
antelope moving quietly off in the early dawn. I 
confess to a slight thrill as hopes of future sport 
passed through my mind. 

From Omaha to Cheyenne the railroad passes 
nearly the whole way through the State of Ne- 
braska, until within a very short distance of Che- 
yenne, where it enters the territory of Wyoming. 
Cheyenne is the capital of Wyoming ; in it the 
Territorial Parliament holds its sessions, which 
were going on when I returned to these parts in the 
month of December. The journey from Omaha up 
to this 23oint is decidedly monotonous ; as a rule 
nothing is seen from the train windows but endless 
plains, stretching out as far as the eye can reach on 
both sides, and covered with a sparse vegetation of 
buffalo or prairie grass. But although the herbage 
appears so poor and thin, it is extraordinarily nutri- 
tious. On it, in years gone by, countless numbers of 
buffalo existed; now-a-days countless herds of well- 
bred cattle not only exist but fatten. Nor are these 
hundreds of square miles of prairie mere summer 
runs, for almost the whole carry cattle all the year 



The Cattle trade, its future. 1 15 

round. It would seem that the grass, instead of rot- 
ting if left uncut, as with us, becomes self-made hay, 
and as such affords excellent winter provender for the 
cattle. I can only account for this by supposing that 
it is due to the intense dryness of the atmosphere, 
which arrests all decomposition. The head of cattle 
possessed by individuals is enormous, sometimes 
over 10,000 bear the brand of the same stock- 
owner ! As may be supposed, this cattle-trade is a 
great source of traffic to the railway company, 
who, I am told, convey over this line more than 
400,000 head of cattle a year ! Nearly the whole 
are transported to Chicago, whence they are 
sent to New York and other great eastern cities. 
These vast, monotonous, bare-looking prairies are 
already the great beef-producing regions of the 
United States ; and before many years are passed 
it would seem as if they were destined to play a 
very important part in the meat supply of our own 
home market. The dead-meat trade is only in its 
infancy ; science has not yet been brought to bear 
fully on the arrangements necessary to make its 
transport an entire success ; and yet there can 
be no doubt — for experience has taught us this 
— that American dead meat can be delivered in 
perfect condition in English ports. What is the 
reason then, it may be asked, why this trade has 
not already assumed larger proportions in our im- 
ports than it has hitherto done? In the first 
place it is completely new, and, like every new 
trade, requires development and organization, not 
so much perhaps in its transport to this country 
as for the speedy distribution from the ports of 
debarkation. When these are perfected I feel sure 

I 2 



1 1 6 Wanderings in the IVestern Land. 

the consumer will never have cause to fear short 
supplies again, except perhaps in the improbable 
event of a war between ourselves and the States, 
and that further if dead meat importation becomes 
a perfect success, our own home meat growers may 
rest in peaceful security from the ravages of imported 
disease amongst their own herds and flocks, which 
will also ultimately benefit the consumer. 

When the mountain ranges are reached, the plains 
which support these masses of cattle all the year 
round almost disappear. There are some tracts 
and "parks" enclosed between the mountains where 
the summer food is most luxuriant, but where 
it would be impossible to leave cattle during the 
winter on account of the depth of snow which lies 
in them for many months. Snow falls heavily 
too on the prairies, but the wind sweeps over the 
low ridges, and keeps the sweet lierbage from being 
covered up, so that the stock is enabled to pick up 
a fair supply of food. 

Great fortunes are made by the stock- owners, 
where experience is combined with industry and 
steadiness ; but the life of the "cow puncher" — as 
he is called in western parlance — is one full of hard- 
ship and excitement, more especially when he is 
located in the frontier country. Amongst them- 
selves they have to guard against cattle stealing 
and falsely claiming and branding, which latter is 
especially practised on the calves in the early 
spring. In such cases Lynch law is often resorted 
to as the most effectual way of discouraging such 
practices. When cattle are " run off" (Angl., stolen) 
a "band " of the neighbouring ranchemen is got to- 
gether, and forthwith start in pursuit of the thieves. 



A coiu puncher s life. — JMoving stock. 117 

The wild training of the pursuers enables them to 
follow up so closely that escape is very seldom 
effected ; the marauders are generally run into, and 
often fired upon and killed right away. 

Private " shootings " also occasionally take place, 
generally arising from disputes as to the ownership 
of stock. A cow puncher must at times be prepared 
to defend his own at the muzzle of the six-shooter, 
or submit to robbery at the demand of a bullying 
desperado. 

Each stock-holder has his own particular brand, 
which, in the more civilized States, is notified in the 
public press, and which it becomes penal in the 
courts of law to interfere with in any way. When 
cattle are sold the brand has to be crossed out, — I 
believe by the vendor, — and the brand of the buyer 
substituted. The young stock is branded as year- 
lings, and is then allowed to roam the prairies. If 
the country is quiet the herds are not gathered up 
more than twice or thrice every year. 

When moving stock from one part of the country 
to another for sale or any other purpose, the stock- 
man has often to spend both day and night in the 
saddle, not daring to leave his charge, which are 
in the habit of attempting to break away back to 
their old pastures, or if in an Indian country are 
liable to be stampeded and "run off" by the wily 
Redskin. From being so much on horseback he 
becomes a most hardy and skilful horseman. One 
man I met had ridden on an average sixty miles for 
thirteen consecutive days. 

Notwithstanding the temptations of the life, I 
have universally found the so-called "cow pun- 
chers " honest and straightforward in their deal- 



ii8 IVanderings in the Wcstcmi Land. 

ings, and always goocl-liumoured and ready to 
share with any chance traveller the best they pos- 
sess. Rongh they are, and one cannot say too 
much in condemnation of their fearful swearing; 
but I have met first-class stock-holders, quite at the 
" top of the heap," and bearing a great reputation 
amongst their fellows, whom I never heard utter an 
oath. This proves that the business can be carried 
on without the usual extravagant indulgence in bad 
langfuaore, notwithstandino; the assertion that drivino- 
cattle is the most provoking of human trades, 
making swearing inevitable. I am sorry to say, too, 
that this habit is not confined to the " cow punchers; " 
for the miners and every other class of the western 
community are more or less impregnated with it. 

There is one good quality of these frontier stock- 
men in which, I am told, they greatly surpass their 
brethren of California, and that is, they Avill stand 
by each other in trouble, and come from any dis- 
tance, put themselves to any inconvenience, or run 
any personal risk, to render assistance to one of 
their own calling. This trait used to be severely 
tested in earlier times, when herds were so often 
run off by Indians ; and at the present time, 
towards the Sioux country, they have still occasional 
opportunities for displaying it. 

Some of them have led such a wild life from their 
earliest infancy that they cannot exist without its 
excitement. They cannot settle down to a quiet 
and more civilized existence, but must follow as the 
Indians retire, and continue their frontier career. 
One man I met, of Scotch origin, had made his for- 
tune and become the possessor of a good farm in the 
more settled portion of Oregon ; but this was too 



Adventurous stockmen — The prairic-dog. 1 19 

quiet for one of his adventurous and roaming dis- 
position, so lie liad just brought over from this 
jjeaceful district a large quantity of his own cattle, 
and had located himself in a ranclie on the Sioux 
frontier, where, perhaps, next spring he may have 
a good opportunity afforded him of distinguishing 
himself in Indian warfare, and losing some of his 
cattle, to say nothing of " getting his own hair 
lifted," as scalping is termed in western phrase- 
ology. 

I must now return from this lono; digression on 
stock and stockmen, brought about by the large 
herds seen from the train windows between Omaha 
and Cheyenne, and will say a few words about 
another quadruped, of much smaller dimensions, 
but of very great interest to the stranger like 
myself. I mean the perk little prairie-dog. These 
little fellows are to be seen close to the track, sun- 
ning themselves outside their burrows, exactly like 
our common rabbit (which are called out here by 
the expressive name of " cotton tails "). The train 
approaches, and away scuttle the little dogs for the 
nearest hole ; not quite so rapidly as our little 
coneys, having more the " lope " of a hare, but still 
losing no time about it. They appear to arrange 
their colonies of burrows or holes, which are called 
here towns or villages, in much the same fashion 
as ordinary rabbits. In colour they are lightish 
brown, turning to grey underneath ; the head is 
round and full, and more like that of a guinea-pig 
than a rabbit. I am told that they are not difficult 
to tame, and that they make very good domestic 
pets. They are said to be good food, but on this I 
cannot speak from personal experience, the country 



1 20 Wanderings in the Western Land. 

I hunted being at a greater elevation than these 
little animals care to inhabit. 

I am told that prairie dogs do not exist on 
the western slopes of the Kooky Mountains, their 
place being occupied by the ground squirrel. It 
is extraordinary how small a thing helps to break 
the monotony of a long journey, whether by sea or 
land, and one thanks the cheery little prairie dogs 
for the living interest they afford to the often mono- 
tonous, lifeless landscape. 

Soon after we had passed Sidney, with its land and 
law offices and drinking saloon — the three most pro- 
minent buildings in a frontier town, — we reached at 
last Cheyenne, called in the guide-book " The Magic 
City of the Plains." The station is large and 
roomy, and, as usual, entirely constructed of wood. 
This town is 516 miles from Omaha, and about 
1,400 miles from San Francisco, and is situated at 
an elevation of more than 6,000 feet above the level 
of the sea. It is said to be healthy, and now quite 
orderly; but, like Denver and all other frontier 
towns, it has had its period of almost inconceivable 
rowdyism and disorder. It has entirely passed 
through this unenviable stage, and is now developing 
itself into a permanent and solid position and 
occupies a prominent place amongst the western 
towns. In early times it had the reputation of 
being more full of desperadoes and outlaws than 
any other town in these parts. It scarcely existed 
in 1867 ; l)ut in 1868 it became the winter terminus 
of the Union Pacific Railroad, and forthwith the 
population amounted to 6,000. Every sort of vil- 
lainy soon prevailed ; dancing, drinking, and gamb- 
ling saloons abounded, and brought with them the 



Cheyenne — Early and present condition. 1 2 1 

usual brawling and " shootings." I have heard that 
as many as seven dead bodies have been found in the 
morning in a single dancing saloon ! Vigilance com- 
mittees were formed, and Jndge Lynch ruled in full 
power. I believe theft was even more summarily 
and promptly punished at these tribunals than life- 
taking. All this is now in the past, and trade can 
be carried on with a fair amount of security. Such 
a wholesome dread has been established that there 
are now only three public guardians of the peace ; 
but the fact is, that all the citizens are, as it were, 
private officers, for they are known to be ready to 
take their personal share in maintaining order. 
Certain regulations have been framed which are dis- 
regarded at much risk, amongst which is one that 
no six-shooter be carried in the streets. Rough and 
prompt justice quickly follows any breach of the peace. 
However uncivilized this state of things may seem, it 
has been forced into existence by the presence of a 
large proportion of the greatest ruffians who per- 
haps could well be found ; and now, notwithstanding 
this, the streets can be walked in safety, and even 
the jewellers can display their alluring wares with 
the same amount of security as in Bond Street. 
A great discouragement to burglary is that the in- 
vaded party does not scruple — as he might in more 
civilized countries — to shoot down any suspicious 
trespasser on his premises. The result is that the 
desperado knows that he follows this trade with his 
life in his hand, and thinks twice before doing so. 

I learnt much about the place from an intelligent 
Highlander, who had been settled here from early 
days, and was carrying on the trade of a goldsmith 
with considerable success, in spite of Avhich he 



122 TVaitderinQs in the Western Land. 



v> 



looked forward to the time when he should have 
realized a sufficient competence to enable him to 
return to his native land, a feeling not uncommon 
among emigrants, especially amongst those of Celtic 
origin. 

Cheyenne is a military post of some importance ; 
there are generally six or eight companies of in- 
fantry quartered here; but at the time I write 
there were not more than 100 men, six companies 
having been sent out in pursuit of the Nez Perccs 
Indians, who had been giving trouble in Oregon. 
It is not believed that the troops will fall in with the 
aborigines, and hardly to be hoped that they will ; for 
the common belief is that when the " boys in blue " 
are matched against the wily, well-armed Redskins, 
the usual result is that the soldier gets " whipped." 
From what I have heard, drink seems to be the curse 
of the soldier, as well as of many others in these parts. 
For the accursed whiskey he will frequently " trade " 
his kit and not unfrequently his rifle too. 

From Cheyenne a stage coach runs in twenty 
hours to Deadwood, in the Black-hills of Dakotah, 
about 200 miles distant. This is said to be one of 
the richest mining districts discovered of late years. 
At present the journey to it is not made without a 
shade of excitement, as of late the coach has been 
robbed — or, to use the native phrase, " the stage has 
been tapped " — pretty frequently. On these occa- 
sions passengers and "treasure-box" have alike 
been lightened of their valuables. A short time 
ago it happened that two soldiers were " on board " 
for extra security. The stage was attacked and 
the soldiers thought it prudent to " skin out " 
(Angiice, bolt) ; the only person who made any re- 



T/lc Black-hills — An Indian irscrvation. 123 

sistance was the unfortunate driver, wlio was shot 
through the leg. 

I am informed that tke Black-hills mining district 
is situated in the Indian reserve, guaranteed to 
the unfortunate natives by treaties with the United 
States Government ; but when minerals were dis- 
covered and the country was wanted for the whites, 
the wretched redskin had to go, treaty or no treaty. 
This is only one of the many cases of similar treat- 
ment on the part of the whites, and the natural 
consequence is, that great ill-feeling prevails be- 
tween the two races. In the case of the Black-hills of 
Dakotah, the dispossessed happened to be the warlike 
Sioux, and a long and sanguinary war ensued, which 
led to the retreat of the largest portion of the tribe 
within the Canadian frontier, under the leadership 
of their great medicine-man, " Sitting Bull." The 
remainder of the tribe are said to be subdued and 
ready to come into the posts assigned to them 
by the United States Government ; but whether 
this will be a permanent peace is another matter. 
The Indians are extremely cunning ; they readily 
consent to be supported, themselves and their 
families, during the hard months of winter, but 
not unfrequently with the full intention, when 
the spring returns, of resuming hostilities against 
their hereditary enemies. But more by-and-by on 
this Indian question. As to the Black-hills them- 
selves, there seems to be but little doubt that they 
are destined to be a rich and populous mining 
district, though there are great differences of 
opinion as to the value of the discoveries already 
made. The richest lodes of ore are said to be near 
the rising town of Deadwood, and to bear much 



124 Wanderings in the Western Land, 

resemblance to the famous Comstock Lode of 
Nevada. TJie United States Government appears 
to have given up any idea of dispossessing the white 
miners from the territory, " reserved " though it be, 
and so there exists but Uttle doubt that the district 
will soon be opened out by the indefatigable " pros- 
pectors " — as \hQ mining explorers are here termed — 
and the population which will soon follow them. 
Should the Indians themselves interfere, it will 
only hasten their total extinction ; for although the 
western miner is quiet enough when left alone, yet 
when interfered with he is more determined and 
vindictive than even the ranchman or cow puncher. 
Woe betide the tribe of Indians who molests the 
miner; his brother miners will remember it ever 
after, and however busy or prosperous a mine may 
be, should a chance of revenge offer, the whole mine 
will turn out, and dire will that vengeance be. 

Later on, I came across some very good speci- 
mens of auriferous quartz and small nuggets from 
this district, but what are the real prospects I am 
unable to say. Had our time allowed of it, I should 
have much liked to have visited the mines and 
judged for myself, but the journey would have been 
long and tiresome, and we were anxious to get on to 
Denver and the mountain ranges of Colorado. 

From Cheyenne to Denver, by the Denver Pacific 
Railroad, is a little over 100 miles, and takes 
about four hours to accomplish. The country 
passed through is at first monotonous and unin- 
teresting, except to a stock-owner's gaze ; but after 
a while the fine range, of which Long's Peak is the 
highest point, comes into view, and lends at once 
charm and interest to tbe journey. A few small 



From Cheyenne to Denver — Greely — Denver. 1 2 5 

stations are passed on the road, tlie most important 
of which are Greely and Evans, the former situated 
on the Cache hi Poudre river, and in the midst of 
one of the finest corn-growing countries of the 
workl. Although containing over 2,000 inhabitants, 
it is said to be a strict temperance town, no " drink- 
ing saloon " — answering to our public-houses — 
being allowed in it ; and the inhabitants are satisfied 
and well to do. We are now in the newly-formed 
State of Colorado, of which Denver, prettily situated 
on the plain about thirteen miles from the base of 
the mountain range, is the capital. From its eleva- 
tion of 5,224 feet above the sea, the air is light and 
bracing, and on this account it is much resorted to 
by invalids. The State generally is said to be a 
most salutary climate for all chest complaints, when 
not in a too advanced stag^e, for althoua-li in winter 
the cold is very severe, yet it is always a dry 
cold, and even in mid-winter, bright days may be 
looked for with a tolerable certainty. The storms, 
which are at certain seasons pretty frequent, pass 
quickly over, and then all is left as dry and bright 
as before. Denver contains some 10,000 inhabi- 
tants, is cheerful and gay, and full of tempting 
shops. Its frontier character has quite passed 
away, and it now seems to be as safe and comfort- 
able a place of residence as any European town. 
From its convenient situation it is much used as a 
starting-place for hunting expeditions, and possesses 
some excellent gun and other stores, from which all 
the necessaries of an outfit can be obtained. 




VIEW OF long's I'EAK IN ESTES PARK. 

From a sketch hi/ A. P. I'. 



CHAPTER VIII. 



" In tliese plains 
The bison feeds no more. Twice twenty leagues 
Eoams the majestic brute, in herds that shake 
The earth Avith thundering steps — yet here I meet 
His ancient footprints stamp'd beside the pool." 

" The Prairies," WiUiarii Brijanf. 

En route for Estes Pai'k — Golden — Mining and Smelting — Lignitic 
formation — Metalliferous lodes — Mr. Hill's works — Miners 
and their -wages — Boulder City — The Caribou lode — Long- 
mount — Its disagreeables — To Estes Park — Beauty of scenery 
— The Park — Bad luck — Griffith Evans — Unwelcome visitors 




FROM DENVER TO ESTES PARK. 



IFrom a G uvernme7it Map. 



En route for Estcs Park. 129 

— The Skunk war — Peculiarities of the enemy — Cokl weather 
— Unsuccessful hunting — Camps in Horse-Shoe Park — At- 
tempts to cross the Eange — The Black Caiion — Storm — A 
high camp — Poor prospects — A bear by Jove ! — A miss — A 
long chase — Success at last — " Ursus ferox " — Driven back — 
More storming — Start for Eock Creek — Fogg's— Marianna — 
Off the track — Fort Collins — La Porte— Jim Baker — Charac- 
ter and "grit." 

We did not ling^er lono- in Denver, but were soon 
away again for Longmount, en route to Estes Park, 
wliere we meant to commence hunting operations. 

As far as Longmount there is a railroad which 
runs for about sixteen miles over the prairie, until 
the junction for Golden is reached, whence a three 
foot guage line runs up a narrow glen for twenty- 
one miles to Black Hawk. 

In this valley metalliferous mining is carried 
on to a considerable extent, and nearer Golden, 
where the geological formation is lignitic, extensive 
smeltino^ works are established. This lio;nite is 
very different in appearance from the " Braunkohle " 
of Germany, being blacker and denser, and often 
resembling at a distance bituminous coal ; but the 
amount of ash and moisture, as shown by the 
analyses given in the Government Survey Reports 
for Colorado, by Professor Hayden, proclaims it to 
be a very inferior fuel to even a low-classed bitu- 
minous coal. The average of four analyses gives 
13-38 7o of water, and slightly under 4% of ^.sh, 
whilst the volatile matter, or gases, in two analyses 
were 36 7o 5 ^^^ ^^^ fixed carbon or coke 46*50 7o- 
The average thickness of the main seam is put down 
at five feet ; but this appears somewhat difiicult to 
arrive at, as the thickness varies from a few inches 
to eight or ten feet. The smelting works of Mr. 



130 Wanderings in the Western Land. 

Hill are carried on liere ; but to what extent lignite 
is used in the operations I was unable to ascertain. 
1 was told, however, the pine-forests of the neigh- 
bouring hills were almost exhausted, and that before 
long the proprietors of the smelting works would be 
obliged to bring bituminous coal by rail from very 
distant parts at a large cost. The ores here dealt 
with come from the George Town, Black Hawk, Cen- 
tral City, and many other mining locahties lying up 
in the mountain ranges to the westward. They are 
principally lead ores, more or less rich in silver and 
gold, and are found in lodes in the old formations of 
gneiss and schist. The ordinary concomitants of 
a good mining district, volcanic rocks, are not 
Avanting. They are here granite and the more 
recent porphyry, and hornblende. Botli the sedi- 
mentary and igneous rocks are stated to vary much 
in character, and to afford ample scope for a more 
defined and closer mineralogical nomenclature. 

T]ie main systems of lodes run due east and 
west, whilst some of the smaller vary to about 
from north-east to south-west. The hornblende 
dykes run north and south. In some places the 
granite masses enclose the more recent porphyry. 
The lead is generally in the form of the sulphuret, 
as galena, containing more or less silver. Silver is 
also found as native, and in various combinations of 
its own, as chlorides, sulphurets, and, I believe, 
alloyed with the comparativel}^ new metal tellurium. 
The matrix, or vein matter, is said to be generally 
quartz. The system adopted here for valuing the 
ores is the same as in other parts of the States, and 
differs materially from our English custom. With 
us an ore is said to contain so many per cent, of 



American assays — Value of ores. 1 3 1 

lead, copper, or any of the less valuable metals, and 
if silver or gold are present, so many ounces of those 
metals per ton of ore, from wliicli the purchaser can 
make his own calculation as to value, whereas in 
this country the ores are, as it were, at once money 
valued by the assayer. An ore is said to be worth 
$100 or $200 per ton, as the case may be, according 
to its contents with certain well-known deductions. 
The American system would certainly seem to have 
the advantage of being easier understood by the 
general public. 

It is stated in the Government Geographical Sur- 
vey of Colorado, 1873, that Mr. Hill's scale of pay- 
ment for ores delivered at his works is as follows : — 
" Ores containing per ton $50 he charges for smelt- 
ing $35, and pays $15 ; ores containing per ton 
$100, charges for smelting $40, pays $60; ores 
containing per ton $150, charges for smelting $45, 
pays $105 ; ores containing per ton $200, charges 
for smelting $50, pays $150; and in addition to 
this $1 50t'. for every per cent, of copper in 2,000 
pounds. All the prices of this schedule are in 
currency." 

I believe the miners' wages until lately were often 
as high as $4 per day (=:16,s.), but there is now a 
downward tendency. It is very difficult to make 
anything like a correct comparison between the 
actual benefit received by the miner here in Colorado 
and in the old country, the rent of houses and all 
the ordinary commodities of life, with the exception 
of meat and flour, being so much higher here. 
There must be, moreover, so many social drawbacks 
in a miner's life here, and which must necessarily 
continue for a long time to come. But, as I stall 

K 2 



I ^2 



Wanderings in the Western Land. 



have to speak hereafter on the subject of mines and 
miners, no more for the present. 

From Golden we had still thirty-seven miles to 
travel to Longmount, and the speed of the Colorado 
Central Railroad being anything but express, two 
and a half hours were required. The track runs 
northwards, skirting the foothills, with the higher 
mountains visible beyond. Boulder City is passed 
on the way, which, like Golden, is the county 
town of a large mining district extending far into 
the mountains, and of which a place called Caribou 
is the " mining camp." The term " mining camp " 
is very common out here, and means the head- 
quarters, or centre, of a mining district. The 
famous Caribou lode occurs in syenite, a sort of 
granite in which hornblende takes the place of 
the mica of ordinary granite. The mining camp 
of Caribou is spoken of as intensely cold in winter, 
which is scarcely surprising considering that it is 
nearly 10,000 feet (9,905 feet, speaking accurately) 
above the sea level. 

We reached Longmount soon after midday, and, 
although we were now in October, the sun was 
striking down with a fierceness as great as on the 
hottest day of midsummer in England, and clouds 
of hot dust swept along the roads and streets, 
making the place anything but agreeable. We con- 
soled ourselves, however, with the thought that in a 
few hours we should escape from these miseries, 
and be inhaling the delicious breezes of the higher 
foothills. But we reckoned without our hosts ; for 
although we were only 35 miles from the ranche at 
Estes Park, and seven hours' daylight still remained, 
the livery stable-keepers refused to undertake the 



Longnioiuit — '^ A check.'' 133 

journey; they pleaded that the season was over, 
that their horses were tired, that the road was bad, 
and finally, that there would be a " stage " on the 
morrow. All expostulation, was useless ; they were 
in command of the position and were immovable. 
In vain we declared our willingness to ride there on 
horseback, but no, they would not let even a pony 
out of their stables ; so there w^as nothing for it but 
to resign ourselves with the best grace we could to 
spending the rest of the day in this most uninviting 
city, town, or village, or whatever other title they may 
please to give it. Being situated on a bare, parched- 
up prairie, hot, baking sand lay inches deep in its 
streets, which was to-day set into rapid motion by a 
strong whirling breeze, and persistently made its way 
into one's eyes, ears, and hair. Certainly that after- 
noon was one of the most unpleasant I ever spent, 
and we wished over and over agaiti that we had never 
left our comfortable quarters in Denver. The place 
was to-day by the way of being unusually lively, as 
an election for a sheriff was going on, which crowded 
to repletion our miserable little pot-house, rejoicing 
in the dignified appellation of the "Hotel St. Yrain." 
IIow we panted for the mountain breezes and the tim- 
bered ridges, apparently so close at hand — but really 
twelve miles off, when measured only to the base of the 
foothills, — and what would we not have given to have 
been transported on to the top of one of those many 
peaks, of which — as we were told by a geographical 
memorandum at the back of an hotel card — there were 
no less than forty-three upwards of 14,000 feet above 
the sea level, the highest being Blanca, 14,464 feet. 
But it was no use chafing over our misfortunes ; 
we tried to practise equanimity, sauntered about a 



134 IVanderin^s in the Western Land. 

little, and, wlien driven in by the blasts of hot sand 
and the stifling heat, did onr best to pass the time 
in the miserable hostelry. 

Lougmount boasts a daily paper, and judging by 
the paragraph in which it announced the arrival ot" 
our poor selves, it is not wanting in enterprising 
imagination. The paragraph ran as follows : — 

" Members of the English Parliament and other 
English notables passed through here on their way 
to Estes Park. Their bag-o-ao-e consisted of eleven 
guns, sixty-two pairs of blankets, several dogs, 
ammunition, and a great variety of camp equipage, 
paraphernalia, &c." [Longmoiuit Po.st.) ! ! 

Now, as a matter of fact, our party, all told, con- 
sisted of myself and L., Sandie (stalker), and L.'s 
servant ; we had one pair of blankets each, six guns 
all told, and two dogs between us. Our " great 
variety of camp equipage " was one tent and two 
camp bedsteads, which, together with our four selves 
and " paraphernalia," were all packed comfortably 
next morning into one not over large vehicle. So on 
the whole this spoke well for the Longmount powers 
of " tall writing." But I am sure every excuse 
should be made for the fearful ennui of enterprising 
minds doomed to pass an existence in this wretched 
place. 

After trying in vain to take an interest in the 
sheriff's election — for no one seemed to care the 
least about it, or to be able to give us any informa- 
tion — we at last gave up and turned in at a very 
early hour, and at an early hour turned out again, 
relieved beyond measure with the prospect of getting 
away from this wretched little town. The vehicle, 
a sort of brake, called here the " hack," was ready 



On the road to Estes Park — The foothills. 135 

for us about 7 a.m., aucl soon afterwards we were 
shaping our course across the plain towards the base 
of the foothills. It was a miserably cold morning, 
which we felt the more after the excessive heat of 
the previous days, but the air was light and in- 
vigorating. Passing by patches of cultivation, from 
which magnificent crops of wheat had been taken 
in the fall, we at last reached the mouth of the 
caiion, or glen, up which our road lay to Estes Park. 
Close by here were some very ducky-looking lakes, 
which are the resort in the early part of the winter 
of immense flocks of geese and other sorts of wild 
fowl, attracted here to feed in the long wheat 
stubbles. If a good harvest specially brings these 
wanderers, there ought to be a rare lot of them this 
autumn, for they tell me the corn crop had been 
most abundant, averaging as much as forty bushels 
of wheat per acre, and this grown simply by irriga- 
tion and without a pound of manure. 

After entering the caiion, through which runs 
the little stream called the St. Vrain, the scenery 
became very beautiful. The foothills through which 
our road lay were luxuriant with a varied vegetation, 
most refreshing to behold after the monotony of the 
plain. The two most common conifers were the 
yellow pine {jjiaus ponderosa), which grows to a 
height of from seventy to one hundred feet, and the 
balsam pine. Of other trees there are some very 
fine specimens of that peculiar poplar called the 
cotton wood {popidm halsaminifera), and the small 
birch, and the dwarf or scrub oak {quercus alba). 
Here and there were great masses and slabs of 
granite, or, properly speaking syenite, cropping out 
through the dense forest growth, and adding im- 



136 Wanderings in the Western Land. 

menselj to tlie cliarm of tlie scenery, wliicli put me 
much in mind of the Esterelle mountains in the 
south of France, but here, the high range beyond is 
nearer and higher than the Alpes Maritimes, though 
not at this time of year covered with snow. 

I cannot say much of the road itself. In those 
my early days of inexperience I thought it pretty 
nearly as bad as a team could be got over ; now, 
perhaps, after some little trial of the tracks of the 
West, I might think more charitably of it. We 
had, however, a capital man at the " lines," and we 
came to no grief, although some of the very abrupt 
and sudden dips must have sorely tried the stability 
of our machine. How wood and iron can be put 
together to withstand such jars and jerks as we 
came in for, I cannot conceive. Certainly our 
American cousins do understand carriage building, 
and their hickory wood, of which their best vehicles 
are built, must be the toughest of material. But 
although the road is so infamous, the toll-gate is 
there, making its modest demand for $3 (12s.) for 
our one conveyance ! 

Higher and higher we get as we slowly perform 
the journey by the simple but sure process of more 
ups than downs, until at length we reached the 
ridge above Estes Park, and looked down upon this 
lovely basin with the grand encircling mountains 
beyond. The beauty of this view must be seen to 
be appreciated ; even such an artist as Bierstadt, 
who is certainly tbe happiest I have seen in depict- 
ing American scenery, could not do justice to this be- 
witching coup-d'ceil. The "Park" lies below us, like 
a well kept pleasure ground, about a couple of miles 
in breadth, and ten or twelve miles long. Running 



First viciu of Estcs Park — Former inhabitants. 13; 

up from it into tlie range are many little gleus, 
some pretty long and broad, others mere " gulches," 
but none extending more than six or eight miles 
before the mountain sides are reached. The en- 
circling range on the left of our view can boast of 
Long's Peak, which is J 4,27 1 feet above the sea 
level, and the highest point in the park ; but the 
peaks opposite are within a thousand feet of it, and 
have equally enchanting outlines. The loveliness 
of the scene is much enhanced by the brightness of 
the green of the park itself, which, although in 
marked contrast with the grim and sombre crags 
of the mountains beyond, seems to pass away to 
them in perfect harmony through the medium of 
the pine-covered sides. The trees grow as high up 
as a 12,000 feet elevation, beyond which are the bare 
ragged masses of volcanic rocks towering up two or 
three thousand feet more. Truly, the introduction 
to Estes Park is a lovely one. 

The sun was beginning to get low when we 
"made" the little nest of wooden erections re- 
joicing in the general appellation of the Estes Park 
Ranche. What a charming spot on Dame Nature's 
face it is ! what must Estes, the trapper — who only 
died last year — have thought of his discovery ? At 
that time he was a solitary trapper, probably in 
constant dread of the Indians, who ranged undis- 
tm^bed over these happy hunting-grounds, and who, 
no doubt, looked upon a white as a dangerous 
interloper, to be disposed of as speedily as possible. 
In thosee days they must have had a real good 
time of it, for the quantities of old bison heads and 
magnificent wapiti horns which lie scattered about 
even now are really marvellous. And they had 



;S 



Wandcrins's in the Wcsterii Land. 



their little excitements too, for tliere exists no^ in 
the park the nndoubted sites of more than one 
sanguinary battle. 




TRE BLACK CA.VOX AND RANGE IN ESTES PARK. 

From a Sketch bi/ A. P. I'. 



The cliarms of Estes Park are so Avell-known and 
appreciated by the inhabitants of Denver and the 
plains, that for many years past, during the late 
summer and autumn, the small accommodation 
afforded by the ranche and huts was always filled 
to overflowing. To meet the requirements of the 
tourists and to attract still more, a very commo- 
dious and well-furnished hotel has now been started 
by the Estes Park Company, about a mile higher 
up the park than the present ranche. This hotel 
was only finished and opened on the 1st of July of 
this year, and was closed about the middle of 
September, when the tourist season was over ; but 
I hear that it was never empty from the day it 



Mineral Springs — Threatened delay. 1 39 

opened to the da}^ it closed. In its neiglibourliood 
are two clialyLeato springs, called the " River" and 
the " Ranche " springs, containing — besides the 
bicarbonates of lime and magnesia in important 
quantities — 4.8565 grains in the River spring, and 
2.2746 grains in the Ranche spring, of bicarbonate 
of iron per gallon — of 231 cubic inches — of water. 
But, I expect, as in many other health resorts, that 
more good is got out of the early hours, and the 
rides and walks in this fine pure air at 7,500 feet 
above the sea, than from drinking the waters, how- 
ever medically good they may be. 

I had telegraphed ten days before from Quebec 
to Mr. Whyte, the resident partner of the Estes 
Park Company, to ask him to be kind enough to 
get things arranged for our hunt, so that no time 
might be lost after our arrival. Unfortunately, in 
consequence of the lateness of the season, the usual 
means of communication with the outer world had 
ceased a fortnight before, and it turned out that our 
own trap was the first opportunity which offered, 
after the arrival of the message at Longmount, of 
sending it on ; and, worst luck of all, Mr. Whyte 
himself had left that very day for Fort Collins, 
thirty-five miles off. 

Things looked dark and a provoking delay seemed 
inevitable, but Mrs. Whyte was most kind, and 
proved herself equal to the occasion. By her 
orders a messenger was despatched at once on 
pony-back after Mr. Whyte, and a little wooden 
hut was speedily got ready for our own sleeping 
quarters. We were supplied with excellent meals 
at the Ranche, now used as a small hostelry, and 
kept by a Welshman, called Grifiith Evans, and his 



140 Wandc7'iiigs in the Western Land. 

wife. As " Griff " will occupy a prominent position 
in many of our future operations, and is a known 
character in these parts, not only as what would be 
called in Canada " quite a mighty hunter," but also 
as a very early and leading settler, I will here say a 
few words about him. 

Although he had emigrated when a mere child, 
and was now considerably past the prime of life, 
and had never been home since, yet " Griff" loved 
Wales and everything Welsh with as much warmth 
as if he had left his native hills only a few months 
before. Nothing pleased him so much as to talk 
of Wales, of his parents and family, of what he 
remembered of his father's old home; of how 
he went errands to the Penrhyn slate quarries, 
and got into trouble for taking part in the 
" squalling " of a hare : so he had evidently had a 
sporting turn from early boyhood, which did him 
good service in after-life. His family had first 
settled, I think, in the State of Wisconsin, at that 
time a very uncivilized frontier territory. Here he 
had been able to practise the art of hunting in com- 
bination with his farm employments, and such an 
adept did he become in the use of his rifle, that few 
could beat him at this national pastime. Changes 
occurred in family matters, and eleven years ago he 
advanced with civilization, and was one of the 
earliest settlers in the locality where we now found 
him. Such was the quantity of game in these parts, 
so short a time as only four years ago, that Griff 
was able to support himself and family almost en- 
tirely by the produce of his rifle. He used to send 
the meat down by waggon to Denver, and sell it for 
what it would fetch in the open market. In two 



Bstcs Park — Griff Evans. 141 

montlis, lie tells me, he killed in this locality 112 
black-tailed deer, seventeen wapiti, and twenty-six 
mountain sheep (oms montana). I think he had one 
man hunting with him as his partner, but even so 
the sport was wonderful. Now, alas ! things are 
different — many squatters have come into this para- 
dise, and the game has been to a great extent de- 
stroyed and driven off; and this last misfortune 
has been hastened by the habits of many American 
hunters, who delight in letting off at all dis- 
tances and at anything they may chance to come 
across. Besides being a capital shot and an expe- 
rienced hunter. Griff Evans was well up in his 
present work of superintending cattle, which he 
was now doing for the Estes Park Company. 
Whatever his failings may have been, he was cer- 
tainly a most cheery companion, most thoroughly 
well-informed in all matters connected with a 
western life, and one of the best hunters I came 
across in my trip. 

On the strength of Wales and a common love of 
sport we soon began to understand each other, and 
and got on swimmingly. But unluckily for us Evans's 
abode had been lately invaded by a great destroyer 
of comfort, for it chanced that a day or so previous 
to our arrival a family of skunks had taken posses- 
sion of the space between the flooring boards and 
the earth. An attempt had been made to dislodge 
them, which had been resented, and the weapon of 
defence nature had provided to these little animals, 
namely, of emitting a most fearful smell, had been 
used most freely and effectively. The final result 
of the conflict had been to make Griff " quite sick," 
and the principal room of the Ranche perfectly un- 



142 Waiideiings in the West ei' 11 Land. 

inhabitable. Lot the reader who has never fallen 
foul of this wonderful provision of nature take the 
advice of one who has been unfortunate enough to 
do so more than once ; let him make the longest 
detour^ put up with any insult or inconvenience, let 
him in fact do anything sooner than offend one of 
these mild-eyed, sleek little creatures. Think not 
of obtaining a specimen for preservation, nor of their 
long, glossy, tempting fur, for the chances are it 
will be spoiled in the act of getting it, and 3^ou will 
be sickened. Anything so loathsome, so sickening, 
so pungent and pervading as that smell I never 
came across. Curiously enough dogs have the same 
opinion of this odour as human beings ; for, after 
having been once subjected to it, be they never so 
big and savage, nothing will induce them to en- 
counter it again. They will very often sicken for 
some days afterwards, refusing food and moping 
away, as if they knew, poor beasts, that they were 
now no longer welcome even to their own masters. 

This little brute (onephitis mephitica) , who is thus 
able to cause discomfort to all around him, is in 
shape like a pole- cat or marten, but about twice as 
large as the latter. Its fur is of a rich dark brown, 
with occasional streaks of white ; the hairs of the 
tail long and bushy, and more freely mixed with 
white. It is said that if the animal is killed suddenly 
no stench will be emitted; but on two occasions 
when we tried this experiment it signally failed. 
In these instances death might not have been ab- 
solutely instantaneous, but it Avas meant to be so. 
The first time the animal was shot apparently quite 
dead, but a fearful smell ensued. On the second 
occasion he had been caught in a trap, when, oddly 



The Skunk, its nature and habits. 143 

enougl], 11(3 smell was eiiiittcd ; fiii ;i(lciiipi was tlieii 
made to kill liim instantaneously by a blow on the 
head with a heavy club, and so to elude the smell ; 
but this was by no means successful, and we were 
again treated to the loathsome odour ; so bad was it 
that my men were glad enough to throw trap and 
all into a neighbouring stream. I once stopped at 
a dairy ranche, where, a short time previously, I am 
afraid to say how many tens of gallons of milk had 
been utterly spoiled by a skunk having emitted his 
stench in the cellar in which the milk was kept. 

It is said that the bite is very poisonous, the 
effects resembling that from a mad dog; but this 
1 can hardly believe, as I am told that some of the 
hunters make pets of them, taking care to remove 
the gland in which the fetid secretion is retained. 

These little animals live in burrows or under old 
buildings, like rats, and are carnivorous in their 
tastes. One morning at Estes Park we were amused 
by seeing a large skunk dragging along a full-grown 
fowl which it had killed ; it was followed by a small 
pack of different descriptions of dogs, varying in 
size from a bloodhound to a terrier, and havincr 
amongst them a large and savage black retriever ; 
all joined in a chorus of anger, but not one dared 
to attack. Having arrived at its hole under the 
old ranche, the skunk found the fowl too big to be 
pulled into it. How it would have got over the 
difficulty must remain unknown, as one of the 
bipeds of the establishment appeared on the scene, 
and the skunk had to abandon his prey, falling a 
victim to a charge of small shot. 

One day I was fishing in the " Big Thompson " 
lliver, which flows through the park, when my old 



144 Wanderings in the Western Land. 

retriever, " Sailor," pointed a small busli. Not 
knowing what was likely to be inside it, I told him 
to fetch it out. In he went, a fearful struggle 
ensued, followed by the most powerful emission 
of skunk odour conceivable. I retreated at once, 
and called out the old dog, but too late to be 
of much use; he came out in triumph with the 
dead skunk in his mouth, but, poor old fellow, the 
only reward for his bravery was to be banished to 
the smith's shop, as, notwithstanding constant baths 
in the river, he was perfectly unendurable for many 
a day. 

We spent some time hunting in the neighbour- 
hood of the ranche, and very enjoyable it was. The 
scenery was very beautiful, and our quarters tho- 
roughly comfortable ; the w^eather a little cold, 
but by no means disagreeably so, for although the 
thermometer registered as low as 17° of frost in 
our sleeping huts, it was so dry and still that we 
experienced no inconvenience from it. Although 
now getting late in the autumn, it was too early 
for game in these comparatively warm and sheltered 
regions. Until the weather has settled into winter 
the wapiti and black-tailed deer prefer hanging 
high up about the timber line, and not till they are 
actually forced by the extreme cold will they leave 
their mountain fastnesses, and retreat downwards 
towards the habitations of their greatest foes, the 
human race. The black-tailed deer come down first, 
but generally do not linger on the road until they 
reach their permanent winter quarters. 

As it was plain, from a series of blank days 
that no game had yet arrived in this immediate 
locality, we determined if possible to cross the 



Camp in Horse- Shoe Park. 



145 



range of mountains, nncl to get over into North 
Park, which was said to be the summer and autumn 
haunt of the deer tribe. It was now getting hite 
in tlie season for this expedition, so, if attempted, 
it must be so without delay. Mr. Whyte thought it 
very desirable that we should first make an experi- 
mental camp at no great distance from the ranche, 
in order that we should find out for ourselves our 
particular wants and requirements. Accordingly 
one lovely day we took our two hunters, Messrs. 
Row and James, and our two servants, and accom- 
panied by Mr. Whyte himself, started off" for Horse 
Shoe Park, a beautiful branch glen about seven 





CAMP IN nORSE-SHOE PARK. 



From « STceivh ly A.T. Y. 



miles from the ranche. Here, in the midst of the 
grandest scenery, and by the side of a tempting 
little trout stream called Fall River Creek (pro- 
nounced " crik "), we made a most enjoyable camp. 



146 ]]''andcrings 211 tlie Western Land. 

The towering snow-covered peaks df the range 
surrounded ns on three sides. From it, on our 
east side, tumbled a foaming torrent, called the 
Roaring Creek ; immediately above us to the east 
rose a splendid rock of syenite, starting up from 
the valley almost perpendicularly to the height of 
at least 1,500 feet. The serrated ridge of the 




''i.v^'^^^>-^r> 



SHEEl^ ROCK IN HOKsE-SUOE I'AUK. 

From a Sketch hy A. P. V. 



Range itself must have risen 6,000 or 7,000 feet 
above our position, and from our plateau to within 
some 3,000 feet of the top, a dense growth of pine 



Return to the Ranchc — Boiuid for the Raf/Qc, 147 

timber covered the sides. It seemed as if ofame 
must aboimd in such hunting-grounds ; such rocks 
for wikl sheep, such timber for elk (wapiti) coukl 
surely not be surpassed ; but, alas ! however favour- 
able the locality, the raw material was wanting, 
and two days of fruitless hunting convinced us of 
the hopelessness of continuing in our present camp, 
and we accordingly returned to the ranche. 

We now set to work to supply our requirements 
and make final arrangements for attempting to cross 
the Range, and the second day after our return 
found all prepared. But for this expedition all our 
packs had to be conveyed on pony back, so that we 
had to press into our service five bronchos, some of 
which were to carry packs for the first time. The 
process of loading, therefore, was both tedious and 
temper trying. 

The first problem in packing was to divide the 
weight with due regard to the individual capabilities 
of each animal. This being done to the best judg- 
ment of the bipeds, the quadrupeds did not often 
agree with the decision arrived at by their betters, 
and the results were continual misunderstandings 
between the two. These disagreements delayed us 
much, but at last all the packs were " on board," 
and secured as fast as our men thought possible ; for 
they knew full well that the track was miserable and 
the fastenings would be sorely tried. The pack 
train being ready we mounted our " bronchos " and 
started oif in good spirits and in brilliant weather ; 
but this latter was destined soon to undergo a re- 
markable change, and our spirits as quickly followed 
suit. It is true that the night before, when comino- 
back from hunting, I had seen much hghtning, which 

L 2 



14S Wanderings in the Western Land. 

I know in Scotland would have portended, at tbis 
season of the year, bad weather ; but here, bemg a 
stranger and quite ignorant of the weather signs, 
and nobody prophesying a storm, I thought no 
more of it, and now started away quite unsuspicious 
of what was in store for us. We had not been 
an hour on our journey before it commenced to 
" storm ;" at first only a slight rain fell, but as we 
ascended into higher regions this changed into 
snow and increased in denseness until we were 
enveloped in a regular snow-storm. Now com- 
menced our difficulties ; the trail was " mean " in 
the extreme, being indistinct and rough, and so nar- 
row that it was scarcely possible in many places for 
the pack animals to get between the timber. The 
poor pack beast I had charge of was rolled com- 
pletely over by the pack fouling a tree, and there 
he lay until three of us had dismounted and relieved 
him of his load. As soon as he had recovered his 
feet and got back on to the track, the process of 
loading had to be gone through once more. Then 
some of the packs worked loose of their own accord, 
and had to be repacked right away ; and some of 
the animals, being young and not liking the weather 
and a mountain scramble, endeavoured to get off the 
trail and return to the ranche. All these little 
episodes were causes not only of great annoyance, 
but worse still, of disastrous delay, and it was pitch 
dark before we reached the first spot suitable for 
camping. Well, making camp under such circum- 
stances is not enviable. It was very dark, snowed 
heavily and unceasingly, and the ground was rough 
and broken. We ourselves were wet through from 
the previous rain, and the temperature was Arctic. 



OiLV camp on the Range. 1 49 

However, all worked liai-d and willingly, and by dint 
of perseverance we got at last the two tents pitched, 
the bronclios unloaded and turned loose, and a 
blazing fire of gigantic logs of pitch pine. After 
a supper of soup made of salt bacon, and fried 
rashers of the same, with fresh baked bread, we 
turned in, and were soon oblivious of the misadven- 
tures of the previous evening and our lessening 
prospect of crossing the Range. 

The next morning, although still snowing, the 
weather looked a trifle better, but the snow lay very 
thick in our camp, which was between ten and eleven 
thousand feet above the sea. Occasionally through 
the mist we were able to see bare ragged peaks of 
rock frowning down upon us from above, starting, as 
it were, out of the mass of forest which surrounded 
us, and which reached to within a couple of thousand 
feet of the highest points. Except where the naked 
rock protruded, all around was covered with a 
virgin white layer of fresh fallen snow nearly a foot 
in thickness. 

As maybe imagined it was not sultry up here. In 
the night the thermometer in our tent had registered 
25° of frost, but the air was dry and there was no 
wind, so that we did not feel it as much as might be 
expected. Our two hunters held different opinions 
as to the weather prospects, one of them was a 
Canadian by birth, superior in education and position 
to the other, and besides — which no doubt told more 
in his favour with his partner than his educational 
attainments — he was one of the best hands with an 
axe I have ever seen ; it was really a pleasure to see 
him use one of the ordinary long-handled axes, every 
stroke seemed so easy yet so effective. The other 



I sO 



lVanderin;^s hi the Western Land. 



"ii 



hunter was a native of the States, and had served 
all throug'h the civil war without getting a scratch. 
They were both most willing and obliging and full 
of anecdote, which helped to while away the weary 
hours of two whole successive days spent in camp, 
for our sanguine hunter was wrong, and the storm 
recommenced in earnest about midday and continued 
with but little cessation for three whole days. 

The third morning broke somewhat better, and 

we determined to try and have a hunt. L went 

eastward with Row — the oldest hunter — and his 
servant, whilst I took my chance in the opposite 
direction with the other hunter and Sandie. First 
of all we toiled up to above the timber line on to the 
bare ground beyond, and carefully searched for tracks 
all the natural passes which wapiti or deer would 
be likely to use in moving down to the lower 
grounds. But all of no use ; not a sign was to be 
seen, although we hunted hard for the whole day ; 
and stiff work it was tramping along through two 
feet of fresh fallen snow, sometimes on the level, 
but more often on the steep mountain side. When 
all chance seemed over, and we were making for 
camp as fast as we could, we were most unex- 
pectedly rewarded with a sight of game. My 
hunter, James, was leading the way almost on the 
identical track of the morning, when all of a sudden 
I saw, I should say about 100 yards oif and right 
in front of us, something, which could not be a 
stone, and which I thought must be an animal. I 
looked at it intently, and at last made it out to be 
a bear ! To stop James, to unbolt and cock my rifle, 
was the affair of a moment, but Bruin had picked us 
up, and was off at a good round shuffle through the 



Oil the track of a grizzly. 1 5 r 

thick timber. Two barrels were lot off in his 
honour, but with no result; and, although we put 
the two clogs " Ned " and " Sailor " at once on his 
track, they very speedily returned, having no doubt 
come to the conclusion that the old " anchorite 
monk of the desert" was not to be trifled with. It 
was now late, so we gave up any thoughts of 
pursuit until the morrow, and got back to camp as 
quick as we could. 

The next morning our hunters again held different 
opinions as to the chances of a successful pursuit 
of the bear ; Row, the oldest and most experienced, 
strongly asserting that to track him would be 
useless, for that he would be many miles away 
before he would think of stopping. However, the 
majority of us were keen for the hunt, and leaving 

Row behind, with L 's servant, to get together 

wliat horses they could, and move camp down to 
the ranche again — the weather continuing hopeless 
— we started for the place where we had left the 
track on the previous evening. This was in a gorge 
called the Roaring Branch Gulch, and rare ground it 
was to travel over. A very steep hill-side, covered 
with quantities of detached rocks and boulders, 
ranging in size from a football to blocks as big 
as a cottage, the latter forming minor precipices 
of from twenty to thirty feet in depth; all were 
covered over with snow, and overhung in many places 
the Roaring Branch torrent tearing along 2,000 feet 
below, so that it was a matter of no small difficulty, 
not to say of danger, to follow Bruin along his 
erratic course. We were all well armed, as, although 
not large, these range grizzlies partake of all the 
well-known ferocity of their better fed brethren of 



152 



lVande7'in(rs in the Western Laud. 



^> 



the plains. Sandie led the way, and his Highland 
training and brawny legs proved of great service 
to him in this fearfully broken ground. There was 
but little difficulty in keeping the trail, no fresh snow 
having fallen since the jDrevious night. It was a 
fine bright breezy morning, Init very cold; the 
thermometer having registered 23° of frost during 
the previous night, and the air was clear and in- 
vioforating' in the extreme. 

After about an hour's tracking, Sandie spied a 
fresh earthwork thrown up on our line of march. 
Concentrating our forces, we advanced cautiously, 
and found that it was the debris from a cave which 
our friend had been at work at during the pre- 
vious night. He had evidently found the tem- 
perature so severe and uncongenial that he had 
made up his mind to construct winter quarters, and 
to retire into them with as little delay as practicable. 
The progress he had made in his tunneling was so 
good that we could not, at first, see the far end, 
and it was a matter of doubt whether he might not 
be in actual possession. Being all of us as keen as 
mustard, we advanced in line to the mouth of the 
cave with our rifles at the ready. Had Bruin been 
at home and charged out, it is a matter of con- 
siderable doubt whether he would not have routed 
the attack and escaped uninjured. He would have 
had all the advantages of the defence, besides the 
nature and lie of the ground in his favour. Fortu- 
nately, as it turned out, he had not sufficiently pro- 
gressed with his work to suit his taste for a 
permanent winter abode ; or he had wished to have 
one more look this fine morning at the outside world 
before " holeing up " for so many months of seclusion 



A chance and a kill. 153 

and darkness; or possibly he had felt hungry and 
had wished to have the chance of one more meal. 
At any rate, whatever his reason, he had left ; and 
we had nothinsf to do but to resume our toilsome 
tracking. The falls we got were many, and 
curious from the grotesque positions in which 
they often placed us. Luckily no one came to 
any real harm, and all went on cheerily enough. 
We had not got more than a quarter of a mile 
beyond Bruin's earthwork, when I saw Sandie, 
who was about a hundred yards in advance, 
beckoning and gesticulating frantically and point- 
ing his rifle down the hill. To run or tumble 
over the distance which separated us was a matter 
of a few moments, and lying down breathless beside 
him — as I had so often done before on the High- 
land hills — my eye at once took in our sought-for 
friend, poking about quietly amongst some boulders 
of rocks about 120 yards below us. Pulling myself 
together, away went one barrel, with no effect 
beyond making Bruin turn his head upwards to 
see what was up. Concluding that I had fired 
over him, I aimed lower with my second barrel, 
aud the expanding ball entered just between his 
shoulders, passing downwards into the region of the 
heart and lungs. The little express had done its 
work well, and poor "ursus ferox" (or " horribilis ") 
ceased to exist without a groan. As may be ima- 
gined, a shout of triumph filled the air, and we 
emulated each other in tumbling and scrambling 
down to where the prostrate body lay. The dogs, 
too, were brave enough now that their foe was in- 
capable of defending himself ; they bayed and would 
have worried to any extent, but this latter process 



154 Wandeiings in the Western Land. 

I objected to out of respect to tlie bide, wbicb was, 
tbougb small, a remarkably good one. He was pro- 
nounced to be a four-year-old bear, but by no means 
large. It appears that these Range grizzlies, owing 
to the difficulty of procuring food in the high alti- 
tudes they frequent, never attain to any great size ; 
but to meet the severity of the climate, nature has 
provided them with a much thicker and warmer 
covering than their brethren of the plain. The car- 
case was soon stripped of this appendage, and, laden 
with it and with the head and some steaks and fat, 
we started towards the ranche at Estes Park. On 
our way down the Roaring Branch Gulch we came 
on fresh signs of sheep, so fresh, indeed, that I 
doubt whether we had not disturbed them when 
operating on the bear. Nothing, however, could be 
seen of them now, even with the aid of our glasses, 
and as it was getting late and we had a long way 
before us, we had reluctantly to push on. 

On arrival at the ranche we found that all the 
bronchos had been recovered except three, but that 
the men had only been able to bring down one very 
small pack from our old camp. The next day the 
weather was a little better, and taking advantage of 
this, we sent up some men with the bronchos, and 
were enabled to get home nearly everything — and 
only just in time, as a heavy fall of snow again com- 
menced, which might have prevented their removal 
for the rest of the winter. Besides the bear, I had 
been fortunate enough that same day to get a 
very good " sable," — or, as they are called here, 
"marten," — Mnstela Americana, whilst in active 
pursuit of a terrified tree-squirrel. A good marten's 
skin, such as that I got, used to be worth out here 



On the search for better sport. 155 

$12 or $15 (2/. or 8/.), but now all furs are con- 
siderably down in value, and it is hard work for the 
" fur-hunters " to make a livelihood. 

The weather still continuing bad, and few signs of 
game to be seen, we determined to take Griff Evans's 
advice, and to strike away by way of the plains for 
certain game regions to the northward. Griff, who 
alone was to accompany us, spoke much of a locality 
called " Rock Creek," of which he had no personal 
knowledge, but had heard good accounts. To get 
to this district we should have to turn the Range by 
going down on to the prairie, and heading up into 
the foothills again further to the north, and then 
crossing the main Range, where it was lower. 

Having hired from the Estes Park Company a 
wagon and a team of horses, and some ponies, and 
bronchos, for riding and packing, with the necessary 
saddles and fixings, on the 20th of October we 
started away once more on our wanderings. Our 
course lay in a south-easterly direction, through the 
beautiful foothills, to the little town of Fort Collins. 
The road in itself was miserable, although dignified 
by the title of " the county road ;" and its difficulties 
were increased by the covering of snow which now 
lay over everything even at this lower elevation. It 
was lucky for us that Griff had made arrangements 
for the Estes Park Company's team of mules to help 
us over the first part of the road. Had it not been 
for them, our small horses must inevitably have 
knocked under, and we should have been -very much 
delayed in our movements. On our road down we 
saw tracks of black-tailed deer, but being keen 
on bigger game, we were not to be tempted, and 
continued our course for the plains. Two settlers' 



I ^6 Wandcriiios in the Western Land. 



&> 



abodes were passed among the foothills ; one of these 
was inhabited by a man named Fogg, a native of 
Cumberland (England), who had emigrated many 
years ago, and had since seen much military service 
against the Indians. Some refreshments and a chat 
with the old fellow helped us on our road, and we soon 
afterwards got down to the prairie. A little farther 
we came on a large farming establishment, which I 
found belonged to an old Mexican, by name Marianna, 
who had in early life made a good fortune by farming, 
breeding stock, and horse-racing. He had, however, 
within the last few years lost his daughter, who had 
assisted him much in his worldly affairs, and since 
then all had gone wrong with him ; so that now, 
poor old fellow ! he was said to be in a very bad 
way. 

From Marianna' s to Fort Collins is not more than 
twelve miles, and as it was now getting late, and 
we were told the road was straight and easily 
" made," L. and I determined to desert the tired 
team, and " make the best time " we could hither 
on our ponies. Our sailing instructions were to 
steer north, and to keep the trail. The night 
being clear, and the track said to be quite 
straight, we thought we should have no difficulty 
in obeying, but along a flat prairie it is by no 
means easy to keep an ill-defined track at night, 
which we found out to our cost, for when about 
two miles from Collins, we got off it, and had a near 
shave of passing the night al freurn^ without fire or 
food. After some trouble, however, we struck the 
road again, and eventually arrived at Collins some 
hours before the waggon. 

Although this is " the county town " it is but a 



Fort Collins — CacJic la Pottdrc — yiui Baker. 157 

small village. The inn or " liouse," however, was 
both clean and comfortable, and we slept well be- 
tween the sheets the last time for some months. 
Here we purchased stores for some weeks, and on 
tlie morrow left in a northerly direction. We 
entered the foothills again about four miles from 
Fort Collins, and soon after passed the little village 
of La Porte, on the Cache la Poudre river. This 
little settlement was in old days an important post 
of the French Canadian trappers employed by the 
Hudson Bay and American Fur Companies. One 
of these veterans, by name Jim Baker, is still alive, 
aged sixty-eight, and living with his Indian wife on 
Snake River. Many curious stories are told of the 
old fellow's wonderful skill in trapping. He is said 
to be able to trap a beaver by any foot he may 
choose, whereas nowadays many of the would-be 
trappers can scarcely catch a beaver at all. In early 
days, when civilization first advanced into this part 
of the country, it found here some old hunters who 
had adopted Indian customs and married Indian 
squaws. Most of them abandoned their unfortunate 
partners, but to the credit of human nature, some 
few stuck to their coloured helpmates, and amongst 
them was old Jim Baker. He has now a large and 
thriving family, and is much respected by all his 
acquaintances. In early days he and sixteen other 
trappers most gallantly defended themselves against 
nearly all the warriors of the powerful Ute tribe at 
a place called Battle Creek in Wyoming, and even- 
tually beat them off with considerable slaughter. 

One little incident I heard of old Jim is so 
characteristic of the determination, independence, 
and moral code which possessed these early trappers 



158 



Waiidcrincs in the Western Land. 



that I cannot lielp giving it. Some years ago a party 
of Cheyenne or Sionx Indians made a raid into these 
parts, and carried off a h^t of cattle, amongst which 
were some belonging to Jim Baker. The ranchemen 
and settlers at once assembled to arrange for the 
pursuit of the marauders. Whilst so engaged old 
Jim passed by with his pouch, blanket, and long 
heavy rifle over his shoulder. On being asked by 
some of the assembled friends where he was bound 
to, " After Injuns," was his brief reply. He would 
not join in the general pursuit, preferring to have 
his hunt alone and on his own account. Nor did he 
return until he had killed an Indian for every head 
of cattle taken from his herd ! 




CHAPTER IX. 

" jNIan hath no part in all this glorious work, 
The hand tliat built the firmament hath heaved 
And smoothed these verdant swells, and sown tlieir slopes 
With herbage, planted them with island groves, 
And hedged them round Avith forests." 

" The Prairie,^," Wm. 0. Bnjant 

Geology — Of tlie higher Mountains, Foothills, and Prairies — 
Fertility — Irrigation — Water supply — Herds of Cattle — Loud 
of Deer— The Fork's Hotel— The Old Cherokee Trail— 
Laramie Plain — Singenborger's Ranche — The Laramie River 
— A shooting case — AVild Rill crossing the Divide — Antelope 
— A kill — The Prong-liorn — Old man Pinkham's — A day's 
hunting — Success — A Timber Wolf — Their cunning — A Bear 
story — North Park — Physical and Geological — Massacre on 
Independence Mountains — Bad storm — A Wolverine. 

A Y¥,\\ words now on the geology of these parts. 
In Estes Park, and in the greater portion of the 
foothiUs, we had to do with the old volcanic and 
metamorphic rocks, such as granite, gneiss, and 
quartz schists, of which the mountain ranges are 
mostly composed. These formations furnish grand 
outlines and precipitous gorges to the wildest type 
of nature's pictures. Travelling towards the plain 
or prairie, — -as we did from Estes Park towards Fort 
Collins, when following the line of the Big Thompson 
River, — these classes of rocks are left behind, and 
with them the serrated ridges and bold faces of 



i6o Wandcrinos in the Western Land. 

tlie mountain scenery. As soon as the sedimentary 
rocks are reached we come on the flatness of the 
prairie landscape, procUiiming the quiet peaceful 
times when these level beds were deposited from the 
then existing boundless seas. The sedimentary or 
stratified formations are represented by rocks be- 
longing to what are here termed the Jura Trias 
and cretaceous groups. Generally speaking, the 
Trias rocks lie skirting the metamorphic, and be- 
tween them and the cretaceous and post-cretaceous 
which underlie the greater portion of the prairies 
and plains. The rocks in Rattle Snake Park — 
through which we passed between Estes Park and 
Fort Collins — are sedimentary, and belong to the 
Trias group. After this we re-entered the meta- 
morphic rocks for a short distance before finally 
passing into the cretaceous formations of the 
prairie. 

It seemed as if in this wonderful climate there was 
the same marvellous luxuriance of growth on all kinds 
of soil. In the mountains and foothills the coniferge 
attain such dimensions as are scarcely to be equalled 
in any other part of the world. Lower down, on the 
soils formed on the cretaceous rocks, crops of wheat 
are grown, surpassing in quality and abundance those 
produced in any other land. Pass on to the jDrairie 
overlying the same rocks and those of the post- 
cretaceous periods, and you have a rich short grass 
not to be excelled anywhere in meat-producing 
qualities. It is as if all geological formations came 
alike to Dame Nature for creating productive soils 
in this favoured clime ; and this is perhaps the more 
strikino; when we come to consider the vast extent 
of country with which we are dealing. The State 



Colorado, its size and grain future. i6i 

of Colorado is said to contain an area of 100,500 
square miles, or 68,144,000 acres ; about four- 
seventlis of this vast extent is said to be mountainous 
regions, whose snowy summits form the " Great 
Divide," or watershed of the continent ; the remain- 
ing three-sevenths — nearly 30,000,000 acres — em- 
brace the corn-producing lands of the State. A 
great deal of this is already growing the very finest 
quality of wheat, and, no doubt, when irrigation is 
further carried out, much more will be put under 
the plough, and add to the important part Colorado 
is already playing in the supply of bread-stuff not 
only to the continent of America, but to the fast- 
growing populations of the old world. There 
seems to be no want of water in these regions, a 
good supply coming from the many streams, such as 
the Cache la Poudre, Big and Little Thompsons, 
St. Yrain Creek, and other rivulets, which debouch 
from the mountains on to the plains. These waters 
are already largely used for irrigation, but there is 
no doubt that in the future they will be still more 
so. The whole question of corn production on the 
plains out here resolves itself into irrigation, and 
where water can be insured grand crops of corn can 
be counted on with almost a certainty. This all-im- 
portant commodity is said to be now more abundant 
than it was formerly, which probably arises from the 
changes made by the process of settling in the timber- 
covered portions of the country. The Mexicans and 
Indians assert that the Americans bring rain with 
them, and this assertion is as it were confirmed by 
the observations noted in the Government Reports. 
Harvesting operations generally take place in these 
parts about the beginning of August ; thirty-five 

M 



1 62 VVandermgs i7i the Western Land. 

bushels of wheat per acre may be said to be an 
average yield. 

To resume our journey northwards from La 
Porte, where we leave again the sedimentary rocks 
of the plain, and strike the volcanic and meta- 
morphic rocks through which the charming little 
river, the Cache la Poudre, has found its winding 
way. Here we came across large herds of cattle, 
which seemed to be thriving on the very sparse 
tufts of short buffalo grass. There must certainly 
be something wonderfully nutritious in this herbage. 
To my English eye it appeared both thin and 
dry ; but the proof of the pudding is in the eating, 
and cattle, even when herded thickly on it during 
the winter months, hold their own fine summer 
condition. 

We were much interested in meeting to-day a 
waggon laden with black-tailed deer, coming from 
the neighbourhood of Livermore, and destined for 
the Collins market. They were in size between a 
red and a fallow deer, and appeared to be in capital 
condition. 

The first night after leaving Collins we brought 
up at a wooden erection, which was pleased to call 
itself "The Forks Hotel." There was no accommo- 
dation either for sleep or food in this edifice, only a 
sort of bar where certain drinks could be obtained. 
The night was bitterly cold, and as timber for our 
camp-fire was scarce, we betook ourselves for rest 
to a sort of hay-loft. The hay would have been a 
comfortable bed enough had it not been of a 
peculiarly prickly description, so that our clothes 
were perforated with the greatest ease by the sharp 
points it contained. This was, moreover, no mere 



Froju Fort Collins to North Park. 1 63 

temporary inconvenience; the pricks broke off 
and remained in our garments, and made them- 
selves afterwards felt at the most unexpected and 
inconvenient moments. I concluded this pot-house 
took its name from the fact that two roads or trails 
branched off at this spot ; the one leading towards 
a place called T^^seiden, the other heading more 
directly into the mountains towards Livermore. We 
selected the former as being more in the direction 
of North Park, which we now sought to reach, 
instead of Rock Creek. We had been led to 
abandon the latter for want of good information, 
both as to its exact whereabouts, and the sport wo 
were likely to have when we got there. 

None of our " outfit " had ever been in this 
country before, so we were obliged to shape our 
course by such directions as we could gather from 
passers-by, and from any ranches we came across. 
Our first instructions were to take a northerly course, 
passing by " Tyseiden " and " The Dmty Woman's 
Ranche ;" but, perhaps from keeping too far to the 
north, we contrived to miss these landmarks, and 
had to follow a small and rough trail through a 
beautiful country, with scarcely a habitation of any 
sort or kind. At the close of the first day we 
found ourselves on an extreme point of the great 
Laramie plain, where we had to make camp for the 
night. From what I heard afterwards, I gathered 
that the trail we used was what is known as " The 
old Cherokee trail," made formerly by that tribe of 
Indians when on their yearly marauding incursions 
from the south. We calculated we made about 
thirty miles this first day, and that over a very 
undulating country, well covered with thick timber. 
" M 2 



164 Wanderings in the Western Land. 

Although our camp was on a so-called " plain," we 
were as high up as the top of many mountains. 
The weather was bitter, and we felt the cold the 
more owing to the keen wind which blew off the 
snow-covered range on to our exposed position. 

Laramie Plain is an undulating, treeless, elevated 
plateau, from sixty to ninety miles in length from 
south-east to north-west ; and from fifty to seventy- 
five miles in width from north-east to south-west. It 
is said — in the Government Geological Report, 1870, 
— to contain 6,750 square miles, or about 4,500,000 
acres, which are drained chiefly by the Medicine 
Bow Creek and Laramie River, both flowing into the 
North Platte. On the east and north-east sides, it 
is bounded by a high range of syenite mountains. 
Like the prairie further south, the plain itself is, I 
fancy, entirely composed of sedimentary rocks, be- 
longing probably to the Trias and cretaceous forma- 
tions. Not many years since this plain was a 
favourite hunting-ground of the Sioux and Cheyenne 
Indians, but the Avhites have now driven them 
northwards, never to return. 

The next day we were lucky enough to fall in 
with a ranche-man, who happened to be looking for 
strayed cattle, and whose search pointed towards 
the North Park. Under his guidance we soon left 
the plain, and turned towards the mountains in 
a north-westerly direction. The country was well 
wooded, and looked exactly suited for black-tail 
deer ; but we were keen now on larger game, 
and looked forward to being in a wapiti country 
before long. Fortune favoured the cow-puncher in 
his search, for we came on his cattle within a very 
few miles ; but we suffered from his good luck, as 



TJic Dutchman s RancJie. 165 

we were aofain left to our own ideas. We now tried 
to find a certain ranclie, kept by what tliey call here 
a " Dutchman " (Angl., a German) named " Singen- 
borger," whom it was thought probable we should be 
able to induce to guide us into North Park. After 
some trouble we found the ranche and the old 
Prussian Pole ; but his wife had gone down to buy 
stores for the winter, which prevented the old fellow 
from coming with us, as there would have been no 
one to feed the milk-stock. He was a cheery old 
bird, had spent most of his life in Mexico, and had 
lately married an American, who had brought with 
her six " lomachs " of boys, by which I supposed 
him to mean six " lumps " of boys. The old 
fellow's ranche was well situated, but he found the 
climate too cold, and he meant to return to Mexico, 
with or without his bride, as might suit her best. He 
could speak six languages, his " American " being 
of the choicest frontier description. We learnt from 
him the good news that North Park was only one 
long day's drive from here, for that he had done it 
himself in that time. Getting sailing directions 
from him we resumed our journey, and soon re- 
descended to the Laramie plain, having in our 
march crossed over a spur of the foothills. We 
made but a short distance to-day, in consequence of 
the delay caused by one of L.'s rifles being lost out 
of the waggon. On one of our party riding back, 
it was found in the hands of the stockman who had 
been with us in the morning, and who did not now 
like parting with it. 

The next morning we made an early start, hoping 
to get into North Park before nightfall, but we 
either missed the trail, or the distauce was far 



1 66 Wande7'ings in iJic Wester 7i Land. 

greater than our friend the Dutcliman made it out 
to be ; at any rate it was well into the afternoon 
before we got even into the valley of the Big 
Laramie River, beyond which lies the main "divide" 
into North Park. Here we came across a ranche 
kept by two Swedish brothers, and arranged with 
one of them to horse our waggon, and to come on 
with us himself into the park. Wo were now able 
to send back the mules and teamster we had 
brought from Estes Park, and which we could not 
hitherto have done without. That night we brought 
up at a ranche on the Laramie River, belonging to a 
late captain in the United States army, Avhere the 
accommodation was rough, but hearty. Amongst 
the inmates of the ranche was the deputy-sheriff 
from Laramie city, who was in search of witnesses 
in a case of "shooting," which occurred a few 
weeks ago at a " Tie Camp " in this neighbourhood. 
It appeared that a lot of men employed by a con- 
tractor were camped out, cutting sleepers for the 
Union Pacific Railroad. A lad named Cowan, only 
seventeen years of age, thought he had been ill- 
treated in the matter of wages, and pulling out a 
six-shooter, shot the contractor, by name Tim Ryan, 
dead on the spot. Upon this, the contractor's 
clerk seized the heavy stove -poker and dashed out 
Cowan's brains there and then. A woman was the 
only witness, besides the clerk, of the occurrence, 
and it was to sithjjoona her that the under-sherifi" had 
come here. 

This little episode caused much discussion, and 
led to many a wild tale of western life. I re- 
member one, of a young felloAV, who was said to 
have been a marvel of strength and good looks, and 



" Wild Biir— Over the divide— North Park. 167 

although a gambler and utterly reckless, yet looked 
up to by his lawless companions as "straight" 
in his dealings. He went by the soubriquet of 
" Wild Bill." Once in a gambling saloon in Mon- 
tana he was set upon by three brother rowdies, and 
disposed of the whole three with his bowie knife. 
Eventually he lost his life while playing cards 
somewhere in the Black-hills of Dakotah. A man 
he had been gambling with had lost heavily to him, 
and avenged himself for his losses by shooting 
"Wild Bill" through the back of the head, as he 
sat playing with another set. Such was the public 
indignation against the perpetrator that he was 
lynched there and then without further ceremony. 

The next morning broke heavy and lowering, 
and we felt a great amount of uneasiness about the 
weather. However, but one more divide and we 
should be in North Park, the long sought-for 
hunting-grounds. We followed the Laramie River 
on first starting from here for about three miles, 
and then struck up westwards into the divide ; the 
ascent was gradual, and the road fair, though there 
was still a thick covering of snow from the recent 
storm. The highest part of the pass or divide was 
about 10,500 feet above sea level, so well within 
the timber line, which is here about 12,000 feet. 
We travelled steadily all the morning, seeing tracks 
o£ both wapiti and black-tailed deer; but as we 
were anxious to make a ranclie called " the old man 
Pinkham's " before dark, we pushed on till we were 
almost within sight of it. On the slope into North 
Park we were greeted with the sight of a herd of 
antelope, and this was more than we could resist after 
so many weeks of disappointment. The bronchos 



1 68 Wanderings in the IVestcni Land. 

were tethered whilst L and I, accompanied by- 
Griff and Sandie and "Ned," started for a stalk. Tlie 
antelope were evidently suspicious that all was not 
right, and very shortly began to move up the hill, 
to a bare place beside a wood, where it was very 
diffictdt to get quietly in upon them. With some 
toil we got round and above them, and were settling 
down to a quiet shot at 100 yards or so, when up 
went their heads, and we knew quick shooting was 
now our only chance. We both fired and wounded 
three, only one of which, a fine doe, did we succeed 
in securing, and that only after much tracking. This 
was my first acquaintance with that pretty graceful 
little animal the prong-horn antelope {Aniiloca'pra 
Americanci)^ which still abounds in some parts of 
the Western States and territories, though far less 
numerous than it used to be. Its powers of sight 
and smell are very acute, though perhaps not so 
keen as those of the black-tailed deer. The bucks 
and does herd together, in bands of from two or 
three hundreds and more ; when fired at and 
frightened by a near shot — especially when they do 
not see whence the danger comes — they will fre- 
quently run round in a half-circle, and thus afi'ord 
several chances. Their meat is excellent, I think 
second to none I came across. A good buck will 
weigh as much as 70 lbs. " clean." They ''' run " in 
October, but soon recover condition and become very 
quickly fat and in good order. The males alone 
have horns, something like those of the chamois, 
which they "shed" about December; the outside 
shell of the horn comes off", leaving a soft core ex- 
posed, on which the new shell forms. They are 
very swift for a short distance, but can easily be 



The North Park. 



169 



run clown by a good grey-liound. They migrate 
long distances at different seasons of the year. 
During the summer large herds frequent North Park, 
but as hard weather approaches they commence to 
move down the valley of the Platte, seeking winter 
quarters on the lower prairies. They are essen- 
tially inhabitants of the open plains and are never 
to be found of their own accord in heavy-timbered 
districts. 

This little bit of sport delayed us in getting to 
" old man Pinkham's," the more so as we en- 
deavoured to follow up the wounded ; but in vain, 
w4th the exception of a doe, which "Ned" tracked 
in some timber, and "jumped" and secured. I was 




PUOXG-HOKNEI) A.MELorK {^Atdil'jcapixi A)iicrlcaaa). 



From a Sketch by A. Biersfadf, 



much astonished at the tenacity of life which these 
little creatures possessed; for although not more 



I 70 Wa7iderings in the Western Land. 

tlian a quarter the size of our Scotcli red deer, they 
take quite as much killing, and unless struck in a 
vital part, even by that destructive little express 
bullet, there is but a poor chance of getting them 
without a dog. 

At the ranche we found quite a party ; there were 
a certain " Judge " Brown, and another lawyer 
from Laramie city, and two miners, all on their 
way to a silver lead mine on the range, which 
the miners were in hope the judge and his com- 
panion would buy. Then there was the old man 
Pinkham himself, a frontier man of some sixty 
summers, and his partner, originally a tailor I 
believe, who had preferred this wild sort of life to 
sitting crossed legs on bench working his needle. 
The ranche was well built of logs by old Pinkham 
himself single-handed. It possessed a single room 
about thirty feet square. The great pride of the 
old man was a chimney corner he had just erected, 
which was universally declared to be " elegant " and 
"high toned." In it blazed some huge logs of pitch 
pine, cheerful to look at, and to feel the glow of 
too, when we first came in, but, as the evening- 
advanced and outside air grew scarce, the atmo- 
sphere became stuffy and overpowering. Besides 
the grand fireplace, the room boasted a small 
cooking-stove ; and at this the respective cooks of 
the three outfits were accommodated in turn. After 
a good supper on antelope meat, we looked about 
for convenient positions for our bedding and 
blankets, but as we were in all thirteen men, two 
dogs and several cats, space had to be economized ; 
however, we soon shook into places, and were 
speedily in the land of dreams, as attested by deep- 



Ill North Park — A good stalk — A timber wolf. 1 7 1 

toned snoring on the part of some of our comrades. 
This did not interfere with well-earned sleep, and, 
curious as it may now sound, I often afterwards 
wished myself back again under old Pinkham's warm 
and hospitable roof. 

The next morning I induced one of the miners, 
Jim, who was said to be a good liunter, to come with 
me after antelope. The weather was dull, and there 
was every appearance of more " storming." We 
had not got far from the ranclie before we sighted 
a "band," consisting of three bucks and about a 
dozen does. Jim made a capital stalk, and we got 
within about one hundred yards, when I killed the 
best of the bucks, which Jim pronounced to be 
an old one, and to weigh, when " dressed," about 
seventy pounds. Another stalk did not come off so 
happily, as they picked us up and got away without 
a shot. Later on in the day I had another chance at 
a buck, but as lie was galloping at a great rate I 
missed him clean. 

When heading homewards in the evening from the 
somewhat isolated hill opposite the ranche, Jim 
happened to look back and saw we were being fol- 
lowed by a large grey wolf; as soon as we halted 
he halted too and sat down watching our movements, 
keeping at the respectful distance of about four 
hundred yards. We thought that the best chance to 
get a shot at him would be for me to creep away 
from the men and dogs — the latter probably being 
the object of his curiosity and greed — and by making 
a detour below the hill to come in behind him, whilst 
he was absorbed in watching. Such was our plan, 
and the wind suited it well, but the cunning beast 
was too crafty for us ; he must have detected me 



I 72 Wanderings in the Weste^ni Land. 

parting from the others, for when I got round he had 
disappeared. This was a fine specimen of the big- 
grey " timber " or " buffalo " wolf {canis lupus occi- 
dentalis). They are generally about four or five 
feet in length, and stand as high as a deer-hound, 
but are heavier in build. They are not to be con- 
founded with the coyote, or prairie wolf (ranis latrans), 
which are not above two feet in height and three 
feet in length, and are lighter in make, resembling 
much the eastern jackal. The "timber wolf" — so 
called from being generally found in the forests — -is 
a very powerful but at the same time cowardly and 
suspicious animal. He is generally either alone, or 
in company with only one or two others, whereas 
the coyotes are often in small packs. He is to be 
found in close attendance wherever buffalo hunting 
is going on, hovering about and ready to pounce 
down and feed on the carcases, and to attack the 
wounded as soon as he can do so with safety. 
The fur is long and thick and much prized by the 
hunter. I am told that no dog, however large and 
fierce, has a chance in a fight with the timber wolf, 
the jaws of the latter being of such immense power 
and armed with so formidable an array of fangs. 
Although pretty numerous in some regions, they 
are nowhere so common as the coyote, which 
abounds throughout the prairies and ravines of the 
Rocky Mountains. Scarcely a night passes on a 
hunting expedition but the coyote's unearthly barking 
and yelling are to be heard ; and they possess the 
power of varying the noise in such an extraordinary 
manner that you can scarcely believe that such dif- 
ferent sounds can proceed from the same animal. Al- 
though very shy, I don't think the coyote is so " sus- 



The coyote and the tiinlier ivolf. 



/o 



picious " as the timber wolf, at any rate be is not so 
canny, as the following anecdote will show. It was 
related to me by an eye-witness, a hunter in the 
Sweet-water country with whom I afterwards stayed, 
and whom I had every reason to believe. It ap- 
peared that he had seen one of the large timber 
wolves prowling about in the neighbourhood of his 
ranche, and had set a trap for him by poisoning an 
antelope carcase with strychnine. After making this 
arrangement, later in the day he saw the old wolf 
loafing on towards the bait, and made sure that he 
Avould fall a victim during the night. But nothing 
was to be seen of him the following morning, dead 
or alive. In the evening, however, the wolf appeared 
again, but this time accompanied by a coyote. They 
approached the bait together, but when close by, 
the old wolf dropped behind and allowed the coyote 
to take the initiative in attacking the carcase. In 
a short time the poison began to tell, upon seeing 
which the wily old wolf made off, convinced no 
doubt that it was, in western parlance "no meat for 
him." 

The fur of the prairie wolf, although good, is not 
so valuable as that of his timber cousin, a single well- 
dressed hide not fetching more than a dollar at the 
trading stores, whereas a good grey wolf is worth 
twice as much or more. I was often told that in 
poisoning coyotes the males alone were killed ; but 
this theory was quite upset by the fact that the first 
two we got were vixens. 

I enjoyed the day's hunt with Jim amazingly ; he 
was far better informed than most of his class in 
his own particular vocation of mining, and was 
moreover a real good hunter. The mine at which 



1 74 Wanderings in ike Western Land. 

he was then working — and in which I was told he 
was a part owner — is about thirty miles south-west 
of old Pinkham's ranche, and is situated over 11,000 
feet above the sea level, on the " divide " which sepa- 
rates the North from the South Park. Jim tells me 
the ore is of great value for silver and lead, and that 
the miners — probably all j^art owners — make about 
$12 per day ( = 2/. 8s.)! The ore is sent down to 
Georgetown, near Central, in Colorado, where it is 
smelted. This undertaking is but small at present, 
employing only about a dozen men, and these are, 
as usual, anxious to realize their shares. 

As is often the case with these mines situated in 
the game countries, the men are fed to a large extent 
on venison killed in the locality, one of their number 
being told off to do the hunting. Jim had got an 
amusing story of an incident which had befallen 
their hunter a short time ago. It appeared that 
bears were pretty numerous up there, and the hunter 
was afraid that these inquisitors would make an 
onslaught on some wapiti meat he had just procured 
for winter use. To prevent such an occurrence 
before he was able to secure it in one of the 
log huts, he thought i\\Q safest way would be to 
make his own bed on the top of it, and acting on 
this plan he arranged his blankets and settled down 
for the night. He dreamt that he was in an orchard 
near his old home, in an Eastern State, and that a 
bull-dog had fixed him in the act of robbing the 
trees. Awaking suddenly from his dream, he found 
that an old bear was shoving him about to get at 
the meat underneath. Jumping up, he seized his 
rifie, and " in the scare " fired " right away." He 
then ran to the nearest tree, which he endeavoured 



A bear story — North Park. 175 

to climb, and thought he was doing so too, but 
when found by some of the occupants of the neigh- 
bouring huts, he was embracing the trunk, but not 
off the ground. Fortunately for him Bruin was 
scared too and had made off, passing close by him, 
but not molesting him. I give the story just as I 
had it, and am inclined to believe it myself, from 
my informant's manner and its general acceptance, 
and considering, too, the well-known prying and 
predatory nature of the bear. 

And now to say a few words about the physical 
character of these happy hunting-grounds which we 
have at last reached. North Park is oval, or rather 
quadrangular in shape. It is about fifty miles from 
east to west, and over thirty from north to south, 
thus having an area of over 1500 square miles. 
High mountain ranges encircle it, except on that 
side in which is the caiion of the North Platte. 
There is abundance of water all over the park, the 
smaller streams flowing into the North Platte, 
which drains the whole area. Excellent grass is to 
be found all over it in the summer time, affording a 
most fertile run for cattle, but the weather is 
thought to be too severe for them after the month 
of September, and they are then moved away to 
milder localities. They tell me that nothing can 
surpass the condition of the cattle after a few 
months' feeding in the summer time on the luxu- 
riant herbage. Large crops of hay are taken off 
parts of the park, without going to any trouble 
whatsoever beyond the actual cutting and making. 

Geologicall}^, I believe, the park itself is a basin 
of sedimentary rocks belonging to the tertiary and 
cretaceous periods, enclosed by metamorphic . and 



I 76 IWiJidcj'iiii^s ill the ]\\'stciii Laud. 

more recent volcanic rocks, which form tht^ monntniu 
i-anges. 

Not long ago (in 1 870) this locality Avas the scene 
of one of those dreadfnl massacres by Indians which 
one hears of occasionally in travelling throngh this 
frontier conntry. A party of miners were at work in 
the park on a mountain called Mount Independence, 
about ten miles south-west of Pinkham's ranche, when 
they were visited by a party of Ute Indians under a 
chief called " Colorado." The tribe was supposed to 
be friendly, but Colorado informed the miners that 
they should have " two sleeps " (i. e. two nights) to 
leave in, and that if they had not left by that time 
they should be killed. The miners were badly 
armed, possessing only a few inferior revolvers and 
their tools. The older men counselled " skinning 
out" at once, and li^aving it to the United States 
troops to settle accounts with the Utes, but the 
yoTing bloods rebelled at this advice, and determined 
on awaiting the attack. Fortunately many left that 
same evening and escaped the massacre which was 
perpetrated tlie very next morning by an over- 
whelmino' number of Indians. Of nine miners who 
braved the Indians, only two escaped to tell the 
tale. Since then no Eedskin has been allowed by 
the whites to exist in North Park. Should one be 
seen, miners and ranchemen at once turn out and 
hunt him away, as if he was a wild beast. Last year 
a party of eight Utes came to hunt in the park; 
but only seven left it alive, the eighth was found 
with a l)ullet hole through his body. 

And now to return to our own movements. The 
next day we had settled to move up the park towards 
a little stream called the Canadian Creek. The 



up Ihc park — More storming — A lucky shut, i ']'] 

morning was fine, so notwithstanding a threatening 
appearance in the sky, away we started. I rode 
ali(;i(l witli Evans and Jim, having induced the 
latter to give me the benefit of his company for 
tl)e early part of the day, after which he was to 
start across the park and rejoin his partner and 
Judge Brown and friend, on their way to visit 
the mine. About nine o'clock the day changed, 
and a heavy snowstorm set in. No hunting was 
to be done, so all that remained for us, was to 
await patiently the arrival of L. and the rest of 
my outfit. Whilst so waiting by a good fire we had 
kindled to keep off the cold, a buck antelope hove 
in sight on a ridge about 500 yards above us, and a 
hicky shot from my express brought him to book. 
Soon afterwards the "young captain" (as L. was 
called by Jim) and the rest of the party arrived, and 
Jim bade us adieu. It was now " storming " heavily, 
and it turned out afterwards that Jim never 
" made " the rest of his outfit that night, but had 
had to camp out as best he could by a fire of sage 
bush. 

In the midst of this despairing weather we had 
a gleam of amusement in watching Evans "snake" 
down the carcase of the antelope by a lariat made 
fast to one of the bronchos. The pony, strange 
to the work, objected most forcibly, and whirled 
little Griff round and round in the snow, but he 
was a determined fellow, and held on most gallantly. 
After a desperate struggle, the broncho seemed 
reconciled, and Evans strutted down towards us, 
leading the pony by the bridle, no doubt compliment- 
ing himself on his victory. All of a sudden he dis- 
covered amidst shouts of laughter from below, that the 

N 



I 78 Wa7ide7'ii7gs in the Western Lajid. 

antelope's head had slipped out of the noose, and 
that the beast was left behind on the side of the hill ; 
to his infinite disgust Grift' had to remount tlie brae 
and once more attach the carcase. At length the 
antelope was dragged to the bottom of the hill and 
packed into the waggon, and we were able to 
resume our line of march. Within a mile of this we 
found that we had lost the track in the snow, which 
was falling very heavily. Nothing remained for us 
but to steer for the nearest timber we could see, 
and make camp. Fortunately, within a short dis- 
tance we struck some cotton-wood trees on the 
banks of a frozen stream, where we established 
ourselves for the night. It was very cold, our 
thermometer going as low as it could go, which was 
about 5° below zero, and how much further it 
would have gone had it been able, we did not know, 
but probably the cold was not much greater than 
the thermometer marked. 

The following morning promised well, and Griff 
went out to " prospect," and find, if he could, the 
road which was said to lead up the park, but which 
we had failed to strike the previous evening. After 
some hours he returned somewhat enlightened as to 
our position. He had had an adventure too, having 
come across a wolverine, but being unarmed, and 
the beast giving unmistakable signs of showing- 
fight, he had not been able to bring him to bag. 
Griff, when he first saw the beast, had thought of 
dismounting: and doino; battle with a " club," but on 
consideration he deemed discretion to be the better 
part of valour, and reluctantly turned his back on 
this pugnacious little animal. 

The wolverine (f/ (//'>, or uvsus luscus) with its 



The wolverine^ its ptigiiacity. 179 

many local names, such as the "skunk bear," 
"corky-jo," " gofordog," &c., is now becommg 
rare even in the most mountainous and unfrequented 
regions. In shape it is like a marten cat, but attains 
the wonderful weight (as I am told) of 100 lbs., and is 
so ferocious, and can use its formidable claws with 
such effect, as to be a match for a small bear. It is said 
to throw itself on its back, and to rip open the under 
part of the body of its antagonist by a blow of its 
muscular and keen-armed paw. The body is of a 
light grey, turning to black at the muzzle and at 
the extremities. Hunters relate wonderful stories of 
its ferocity and great muscular strength, even when 
in captivity. The celebrated Jim Baker is said to 
have kept one at the same time as a cinnamon bear, 
and that the wolverine always "whipped" the bear 
over the food. It was a matter therefore of great 
regret to us all that Griff had been unable to bring- 
in so great a prize. If he had only had a six-shooter 
Avith him, the affair would have been soon settled. 



N 'J 




A WAPITI KOAUIJJG. 



From a SMck by A. Bierstadt. 



CHAPTER X. 



" The bounding Elk, whose antlers bear 

The branches, falls before my aim." 
" TJie Huniers of the Prairie," Wm. CnJJen Bryant. 

L.'s departure — After Elk — On the track — A shot— "He's hit" — 
A fruitless hunt — A deserted camp — Loneliness — Move camp 
— A Porcupine — "Ned's" punishment — Another move — 
" Played out " — A hunter's cabin — Its occupants — A strange 
night — Curly Eogers — "A Wapiti roar" — A fine sight — A 
" boss bull " — The stalk — Bad luck — A trudge home — Loss of 
ponies — Unsuccessful tracking — A severe day — Bear trap — 



Loyd's dcpai'tiire — A ti'-iflc solitary. i8i 

Wapiti again — Meat at last — After Inills— A " view " — Too 
late — Eide home— Touched with the frost — At the bulls again 
■ — A successful stallc — "A right and left" — A fine head — 
A mysterious camp-fire — Another beast — Packing to camp — 
Danger from snow — On the move — " Whiskey Jacks " — Awful 
day — The Rose family — The " Old Man's " again — The Wapiti 
— Change of outfit — Up the Park — Solitary hunt — Successful 
issue — Search for quarters — Night in a waggon — The Indian 
question. 

The next day broke as badly as possible, and it 
being now late in tlie season (October 29tli), and 
L.'s leave getting short, lie deemed it prudent 
to depart for more civilized and warmer regions, 
fearing lest the snow should fall so heavily as to 
prevent his egress from the park. Accordingly, 
very much to our mutual regret, we parted. With 
him went my Highlander — Sandie — and my poor old 
dog " Sailor." The latter I was glad of the oppor- 
tunity of sending home, the weather having become 
too cold for his thin skin, and the poor beast did 
nothing but shiver. Sandie was a great loss to me, 
and just as I was in hopes of good sport amongst 
the big game, it was most provoking to lose him ; 
but he had not expected I should be away so long, 
and had taken a farm in Scotland, to which he was 
obliged to return. 

I must confess to feeling low and lonely, left 
here so far from civilization, without a human being 
as a companion save Griff Evans, a comparative 
stranger, who had moreover never been in these 
parts before, and knew nothing of the country. I 
thought, however, that after coming all this way I was 
bound to persevere, and I had great and just con- 
fidence in Griff's hunting and campaigDing qualities. 
This was not misplaced, for so long as he and I were 



1 82 lVdndei^in<rs in the Western Land. 



<3 



alone together we did remarkably well, and I firmly 
believe that if we had continued alone, my sport 
would have been better. But there came a day 
when he was induced to ask me to take on others, 
and after that there was a great falling off both in 
sport and comfort. But I must not forestall. 

As soon as all was arranged and it was decided 
that L. should take Martin, the Swede, and the team 
to convey his party and impedimenta to Laramie city, 
on the Union Pacific Railroad, GrifF and I started for 
our first day after wapiti. We made for some likely- 
looking timber about ten miles up the park, and 
although we killed nothing, the day was not without 
much enjoyable excitement. We were both mounted 
on " bronchos ; " Griff leading, piloted the way 
through the thinnest parts of the forest, examining 
most carefully the fresh fallen snow for signs of 
game. After some hours hunting he suddenly pulled 
up, and pointed to some very large fresh tracks, 
which he said were those of a "bull elk" (i. e. stag 
wapiti). Dismounting and making our ponies fast 
to a tree, we took up the track on foot. This was 
real excitement, GrifF following the track cautiously 
and carefully, while I was all eagerness close behind 
him, with rifle ready for a snap shot, in case we 
"jumped" the bull. My companion pronounced 
the track to be quite fresh, in fact, only made within 
an hour or so, and as the beast was walking and 
browsing, and the wind all right, I was very san- 
guine, and had a full feeling about the heart at 
the idea of a shot at one of these magnificent 
animals. 

We had not followed the track more than half an 
hour when Griff started back, and at the same 



Blood at last btit no kill. 1 8 



o 



moment I cauglit a glimpse of a magnificeut stag 
crashing through the thick timber. Crack goes my 
rifle, but with no apparent effect beyond perhaps 
hastening the beast's movements. Down go my 
spirits, to be raised again very speedily by a drop of 
blood on the virgin snow; at any rate I had hit him; 
but was the wound mortal ? and shall we get him ? 
were the next questions I anxiously put to myself. 
Taking the track, with " Ned " straining at the 
leash, we plodded on and at last " jumped " him, 
but not in view, owing to the thickness of the 
timber. With Evan's approval I decided, as it 
was getting late in the day, to slip " Ned " on the 
track, with the hopes of getting a bay. Off he went 
at full tear, and very shortly we were greeted with 
his well-known bark, plainly telling that he had 
come up with the elk. Instead of remaining 
stationary, however, which would have assured us 
of a bay, the bark grew fainter and fainter, too 
clearly showing that the bull was not sick enough 
to bay, and that he had refused to stop and was 
pursuing his onward course. Old "Ned" had been 
trained on red deer, which readily bay when tackled 
by a colley ; but these great, big brutes are too 
impulsive and impatient to stop, and the only 
chance of baying them is for the dog to snap their 
heels, when they will turn round to defend them- 
selves. This is the case too with bears and other 
wild animals, and should be remembered when 
training a dog for work out here. I found this out 
one day when watching " Ned " run a wounded elk, 
when it happened that the whole chase was full in 
view. I saw him run up in front and head the elk, 
barking violently, but without the smallest apparent 



184 IVajiderin^s in the Western Land. 

effect on the animal, which eventually got well away 
and was never brought to bag. 

But to return to the present occasion. When 
" Ned " rejoined us exhausted and tired, having 
evidently had a long run, it was so late in the day 
that we had to give up further pursuit, and had 
only to make for our bronchos, and get back to 
camp as quickly as we could. Fortunately the 
night was pretty clear, for most of our ride was in 
the dark, and Griff knew nothing of these parts ; he 
was, however, very good in wood-craft, and had 
marked the country well, so we got back without 
a hitch. 

What a fearfully depressing thing a deserted camp 
is ! a lonesome overpowering stillness reigns, where 
a few hours before all was active, stirring life. 
Such feelings of depression assail us more strongly 
on a return from a long day's unsuccessful hunting, 
tired, cold, and hungry, than when we have some- 
thing to show for our labours. And to add to 
our present trials our party before leaving in the 
morning had neglected to bank up the camp-fire, 
or to cut any firewood ; consequently directly we 
got iu, we had to go out and seek for wood in the 
dark, and then to set to work and " chop " it. For- 
tunately some cotton-wood trees were not far off, 
and we managed to get a fire pretty soon, for the 
weather was bitter and we felt the necessity of 
ppeedy warmth. To add to my own discomfort, I 
found that the bag which contained my change of 
clothes was locked, and no key could be discovered 
for " quite a while." Whilst I was engaged in the 
search, GrifF had been most successfully occupied 
with the supper. Our fare was antelope venison 



Move of camp — " Aged's " disobedience. 1 85 

and fresh baked bread, and right good tliey were. 
We tliorouglilj enjoyed the repast, and having done 
ample justice to Griff's cooking, and being well 
tired ont, were very soon curled up for the 
night. 

The following day was a most glorious one for 
hunting, but as we had decided on moving camp 
some seven or eight miles further up the park to 
be nearer the best elk ground, the greater part of 
it was spent in this operation. The work was hard 
and took a long time, as there were only two of us 
to strike the tent, and then pack and drive the 
laden bronchos, so that the sun was nearly down be- 
fore we got to the spot we had selected on the pre- 
vious day, on the bank of a creek or stream, close to 
where it escaped from the mountains. Near here 
we thought from appearances there would be both 
good grazing and plenty of wood and water — the 
main essentials of a good camp. 

Whilst Griff unpacked the bronchos and pitched 
the only tent we now had with us, I thought I 
should have time before sundown to take a quiet 
hunt with " Ned." Leaving camp, I made for a 
neighbouring pine-clad ridge, where, as I expected, 
I soon found fresh elk tracks ; it was too late, how- 
ever, to follow them, and, after making a detour, I 
headed back for camp. On my way hither I came 
across an ungainly-looking creature, which I soon 
made out to be a porcupine, and with little trouble 
I got a shot at and wounded it. Unfortunately 
"Ned" did not "down charge," but, despite my 
loudest shouting, went straight at the brute, and 
severely did the poor old dog get punished for his 
disobedience. A yell of pain, and a very precipitate 



1 86 Wanderings in the Western Land. 

retreat showed that the porcupine had made good 
use of its natural means of defence. Poor " Ned " 
was stuck full of quills — his mouth, cheeks, and fore- 
legs appearing like a pincushion. With some diffi- 
culty I got him back to camp, and then, as may be 
imagined, we had truly a nice job to extract the 
quills. Luckily I had some nippers, and with these, 
and with the aid of Griff Evans's firmly-planted 
incisor teeth, we contrived to get most of them 
out of the lips and cheeks of the poor suffering dog. 
By the time we had finished with his head we had 
had quite enough, and, thinking that he would be 
able to take them out for himself from his paws 
and legs, we were glad to leave these for his own 
treatment. But it appeared afterwards that his 
patience was not like ours, and instead of extracting 
the quills whole, he had bitten them off short, and 
consequently the points worked in, and made him 
lame for many a long day. 

This porcupine is not the same variety as the 
South African and Indian {Nystrix cristata), but 
is, I believe, the urson, or Canadian porcupine 
(Erethizon dorsatum). Its flesh is said to be very 
fairly good, and in request among the Indians. It 
is supposed by many that they possess the power of 
shooting out their quills clear of the body, and it 
would seem as if Longfellow shared in this opinion, 
for he writes in " Hiawatha : " — 

" From a hollow tree the hedge-hog 
With his sleepy eyes look'd at him, 
Shot his shining quills like arrows." 

But from what I saw and heard from others, I think 
this is a mistaken idea ; the fact is that the quills 



Another move — Under difficulties. 1 8 7 

can be very easily detached, and being very pointed 
and sharp, the moment anything comes in contact 
with them, they are left sticking in that object. If 
not removed at once they work in with wonderful 
quickness, and cause great suffering, and even 
danger. 

But to resume — during my absence Griff, after 
making camp, had discovered that the spot we had 
fixed on was a complete swamp, and that there was 
nothing for it but to move ! Truly a delightful 
prospect ! bad enough for a weak-handed party in 
broad daylight, but with the light fast failing, and a 
second time in the same day ; it was really enough 
to make one sit down and greet. But it had to be 
done, so to work we set. First of all we had to 
lay hands on those ill-conditioned and mule-like 
bronchos, who evidently considered that any further 
call on their services was most unwarrantable and 
not to be endured, and resisted to their utmost ; 
but Griff's blandishments and tact at last pre- 
vailed, and my own especial pony, who seemed to 
be the ringleader in the obstruction, was at length 
caught and bridled. With her the resistance 
ceased, and the other two soon gave in. Then we 
had to repack, and as the distance to the new 
camping-ground was only a few hundred yards, we 
naturally thought it unnecessary to make the 
packs very secure. Unfortunately, in that short 
distance we had to cross the creek, and all the 
things which could possibly fall off took the oppor- 
tunity of doing so, generally at the exact moment 
when they were over the rushing water. Amongst 
them was my box of rifle cartridges, and a nice 
soaking it got. By this time it was dark, and we 



1 88 Wmideriit^s in the Western Land. 



%!> 



had to grope about for everything in a most dis- 
heartening and wearisome manner ; but with all our 
endeavours we failed in recovering that night all we 
had lost, and some things were never found at all. 
We were completely beat by all these trials and 
exertions, and at last we found ourselves, as Griff 
called it, " quite played out," and that before we 
had begun to get our second camp made. We were 
so exhausted that we cotdd scarcely collect enough 
wood for a fire at which to warm ourselves 
and cook some meat, without even attempting to 
repitch the tent or unpack any of the things. 
Fortunately the evening was fine, though bitterly 
cold ; what was now to be done ? we must get some 
shelter and warmth for the night somehow. As 
it happened, on our way up in the morning we had 
met a young trapper whom we believed to be living 
in a hut somewhere up this creek, but where we had no 
idea ; supper had, however, refreshed us much, and 
we thought the best thing we could do would be to 
try and find him out, and get shelter with him. 
Following the creek for about a quarter of a mile, 
we most luckily came on the hut, at the door of 
which we knocked loudly, but for some time 
without any answer. At last a sleepy voice re- 
sponded, and we raised the latch and went in. A 
curious sight awaited us, which by the fitful blaze 
of the waning fire we could just make out. The 
interior of the hut seemed to be about twenty-five 
feet square. On one side were arranged against the 
wall two " bunks " or berths, in one of which slept 
a woman ; in the other, the young trapper. On the 
earth floor, beside the woman, were five little chil- 
dren rolled up in blankets like so many mummies ; 



A cu7'io7is night. 189 

no article of furniture was visible, save a broken 
chair or two. Griff soon explained our busi- 
ness, and we were at once asked by both of the 
adult inmates to make ourselves at home in the best 
way we could, which we forthwith proceeded to 
do. Griff had brought up our blankets, and we 
were soon deposited at full length on the mud floor, 
too thankful for the shelter and warmth. After 
the hard day's work I looked forward to having a 
good sleep ; but this was not to be, for soon after 
I had laid down such an attack of acute cramp 
seized me that I was forced to spring up and 
elongate my lengthy limbs to their utmost, 
to the great astonishment of the rest of the 
party, who were awoke and could not make out 
what ailed me. This occurred twice during the 
night, causing the sharpest suffering, besides de- 
priving me of much-needed rest. At early dawn 
the children began to crawl about, and would no 
doubt have proceeded to a closer investigation of 
the "strangers" had it not been for "Ned," who 
slept by me, and showed unmistakable signs of not 
appreciating a nearer acquaintance with the little 
ones. I must confess that this was much to my 
inward satisfaction, and, as I found out afterwards, 
to Griff's also. But I could not help feeling sorry 
for these poor little creatures, such bright, happy 
little beings, but so wretchedly clothed, and some of 
them suffering from such racking coughs. 

The poor woman's lot was a hard one. It 
appeared that her husband, named Eose, had been a 
preacher somewhere down the Platte. Unable to 
make his livelihood at his calling, he had entered 
into partnership with the young trapper. Curly 



iQO JVandermgs in the Wcstei-n Land. 

Eogers, and bad migrated in the summer to this 
hut, in the neighbourhood of which, he was tokl, 
there were plenty of furs to be got. During the 
summer they had been just able to get along, but 
had saved nothing. Rose was now away at Laramie 
city, selling a small quantity of furs, and buying 
stores for his w4fe and family. He had now been 
gone some time, and had it not been for his 
partner, I don't know how his poor family could 
have existed. 

As w^e shall have much to do with this said 
partner, I w411 give his description now. Curly was 
a native of the State of Michigan, but had been out 
west since early childhood. Though, after the 
manner of the country, called a " boy," he was about 
seventeen years old, and looked more; he was light- 
built, hardy and keen, and, although rough in 
manner, and not a first-class trapper or a good shot, 
was yet a very useful man about camp. He pos- 
sessed the pleasing quality of being always cheery, 
and I never saw him out of temper. On the 
present occasion he showed anxiety to be useful, 
and, now that this most miserable night was over, 
Griff suggested that he should be engaged to come 
with us, w^hich was arranged. 

At the break of day we returned to our own 
bao'cace, and s:ot some breakfast. After which 
Curly showed us the best place for a camp, wdiich 
had evidently been often used for the same purpose 
before. Things looked better, and all seemed straight 
sailing now, so after breakfast Curly and I started 
off to hunt for elk, leaving GrifF in camp to get the 
tent pitched and the other things a little in order. 
Curly thought our best "show" (Angl., chance) 



After wapiti — " A roar!' 191 

was on the mountain sides down the park. He liad 
seen yesterday fresh tracks of elk thereabonts, and 
did not think they were far off, so thither we bent 
onr steps. 

Not long after we had taken the brae and got 
into the timber our ears were greeted with a cry 
peculiarly strange and quite unlike anything I had 
ever heard before; it put me in mind of a large 
penny whistle, on which a proficient was prac- 
tising his scales. Anything more unlike the roar 
of a gigantic stag I could not have conceived ; 
such, however, it was — the roaring, or as it is here 
called, the " whistling" of a bull elk (stag wapiti). 
Once aware of the cause, the sound had a wonder- 
fully exciting effect on my nerves. It was very 
weird, wild, and peculiar, but I certainly should have 
expected louder things from so colossal an animak 
As the beast seemed to be at no great distance 
we now proceeded with the greatest cautiou, peering 
into every hollow and opening, and using the glass 
freely. At last, on looking over a low ridge, as 
pretty a sight broke on us as it is ever the lot of the 
hunter to enjoy. In a small hollow about 500 yards 
below us, was quietly grazing a " band " or herd of 
about thirty wapiti ; about twenty-five of which 
were cows (hinds), the remainder bulls (stags). 
Amongst the latter was one decided master stag, — a 
real " boss," — and three or four small ones, which 
were being driven away by the " boss " whenever 
they approached the cows. I sat watching them 
for some time, with my glass, as they fed up a slope. 
They moved and behaved in every way exactly like 
our own red deer, in fact, I almost knew what they 
were goingto do next, from having so often audclosely 



192 IVariderings in the Western Land. 

observed the latter under similar circumstances. 
How I enjoyed this my first intimate acquaintance 
with wapiti ! and how keen I was to have the big 
bull and none other ! Bis aJiter visum ! 

As soon as the last of the herd had fed over a small 
ridge we followed on very carefully, and, the wind 
being right, we were able to crawl in right amongst 
them. They were lying down close on the other 
side of the ridge ; the cows were all around us, some 
of them within thirty yards, and lying quite " canny." 
I could see the smaller bulls plainly enough, and 
within easy shot, but where was the big bull ? The 
old villain — as so often happens in deerstalking — had 
taken himself off, and was lying down somewhere 
out of sight. My young and keen friend Curly was 
all for "getting a stand on " (Angl., having a go in 
at) the cows or small bulls, but I restrained him, 
hoping there might still be a chance of the big bull. 
A puff" of wind came, and betrayed us to some small 
outlying bulls which we had not observed. Away they 
went, and being in sight of our lot communicated to 
them the scare, and very " good time they all 
made " of it, considering their great size and weight. 
I had hoped that in the first scurry I might get a 
sight of the big bull, but he never showed again, 
and the band got off without a shot, very much to 
Curly's disgust. He acknowledged, however, after- 
wards that I was right in not shooting the cows or 
small bulls, and that my ill-fortune was due to bad 
luck, and not to bad hunting. We then tried to 
follow the band, but in vain. They were quickly 
amongst the thick timber and well away for the 
main divide. 

Later in the day I got a long snap-shot at a bull 



Camp oil the Bi^ Sandy. 193 

elk going through the timboi', l)ut without success, 
and eventually we returned homewards once more 
with heavy hearts. 

The day, whicli liad been beautifid, clianged to- 
wards evening, and it began to "storm" heavily 
before we had got far towards camp. It was a long 
and tiring trudge back, but when we got there we 
found that GrifF had got all fixed up in "elegant" 
form, and I passed an excellent night after a capital 
supper. 

The next day after breakfast we found to our 
dismay that all the bronchos had " skinned out " 
(Angl., bolted) ; the food had been too scarce, 
covered as it was with so much snow, and they 
had made for clearer ground. I did not want to 
lose a day's hunting by this untoward event, so 
leaving Griff to track and recover them, if he 
could, I took Curly with me and started off for 
the high timber on the mountain-side behind our 
camp. 

It recommenced storming very soon after we 
started, and, as there was already nearly two feet of 
snow on the ground, the travelling was very 
fatiguing. Here and there sliarp ledges of the 
volcanic rock protruded through the snow, the in- 
tervening spaces being filled up by drifted masses ; 
the falling into these was mercifully soft- — for fall 
we did, and that pretty often. 

Not very far from camp we struck on two large 
bull-elk tracks quite fresh, leading straight up the 
mountain. With the wind as it was — pretty nearly 
in the direction they were travelling — we ought to 
have known better than to have attempted to follow 
them; but our blood was hot after our hunt of 





194 Wanderings in the Western Land. 

yesterday and up we went. Wliat a climb we had 
of it ! TJi^ mountain-side was steeper than any 
house-roof I ever saw, and the footing almost as 
difficult ; and after all we never even saw our game. 
Time after time we came to where they had stopped 
only a few minutes before, and probably looked 
down on us in our labours, and then had quietly 
continued their own comparatively easy ascent as 
soon as we got within dangerous proximity. This 
wild-goose chase we continued until the timber line 
was nearly reached (12,000 feet), when we came 
to the conclusion that they had made up their minds 
to cross the divide into the Laramie Valley, and 
decided upon abandoning the severe and disheart- 
ening stern chase. 

On our way back Curly showed me where he 
had successfully " set a rifle trap" for bear during 
the past summer. It was made by securing a 
loaded rifle at full cock to a tree, with the muzzle 
pointed at an elk's carcase. Round the bait was 
stretched a cord about a foot off" the ground made 
fast at one end to the trigger of the rifle, so that 
nothing could meddle with the carcase without 
setting off the rifle. By this arrangement Curly 
had killed one bear and severely wounded another. 
A fine golden eagle had also fallen a victim, and 
lay now untouched, where it fell, but too far gone 
for preserving. 

When we got back to camp we were relieved to 
find that Griff had recovered the ponies. He had 
found them about four miles further down the park, 
beside a swampy creek which had barred their joro- 
gress towards better pastures. 

The next day I took Griff with me for a hunt, and 



Camp oil the Big Sandy — Elk vicat at last. 195 

worked the ground to the southward. After some 
little time we struck and followed the trail of a 
couple of bull elk, and presently found them feeding 
in the timber ; but luck was still against me, for, as 
we were getting well in for a quiet shot, one of our 
miserable ponies — which we had dismounted and 
left some little way off — suddenly appeared on the 
scene and put the deer away at a gallop ; a scram- 
bling, running, hurried chance was all I got, and 
this I missed. 

But we were not destined to go back to camp 
meatless, for shortly after this we came across the 
fresh tracks of a small band of elk, which we followed 
into the thick green timber we had hunted on the 
first day. Very soon after entering this they 
seemed to have dispersed and broken into small 
groups in a very unusual manner. Under these cir- 
cumstances it was most difficult to do any good with 
them, as they were continually " on the lope " and 
scaring one another. Eventually we came across a 
very fine old cow elk alone, which we at once made 
sure of, the meat of the cow being thought very 
superior and a great delicacy. Evans had got my 
large eight-bore gun loaded with spherical ball, and 
not thinking that I had seen the animal as well as 
himself fired at the same moment as I did ; his bullet 
entered the neck, and on its way thither cut down 
a small fir-tree. My express, too, had shot truly, 
striking the elk just below the shoulder ; both were 
fatal shots, and the poor beast never stirred from 
the spot. So at last we had got some elk meat, 
and of the finest quality ; but I am free to confess 
that I should have much preferred a bull, with less 
good meat and a head with horns. 



196 IVaiidcrings in the Western Land. 

The next morning I was out early with Evans on 
the mountain-side to the northward of the camp. 
We soon struck elk tracks, and as they were fresh 
we followed them on. After some time it became 
evident that we were quite close on a band of bulls, 
and as the wind was all right and the trail lay 
through timber more or less dense, we did not know 
the moment we might "jump " them. This excite- 
ment continued all the afternoon, until it became so 
dark as to compel us to think of making back tracks 
for camp. Before doing so, however, feeling that 
the band could not be far off, I ascended a little rise, 
and fired off my rifle to see if it would disturb any- 
thing within sight. It was a " happy thought" of 
Griff's, for scarcely had the sound died away before 
there appeared on a small hillock about three- 
quarters of a mile off a band of eight magnificent 
bull elk, a glorious sight indeed. There they were, 
grand beasts, behaving just like a herd of red 
deer stags, running after and poking each other and 
playing about on the top of the bare knoll like so 
many great kittens. They were but little scared, 
for they had not seen us, and did not seem to have 
any idea what the alarming sound was, or where it 
had come from. 

We sat watching them for some little time, full of 
wishes for a couple of hours' more day-light, but 
it was now getting hopelessly dark, so the best 
thing we could do was to leave them in quiet pos- 
session, and hope that we might find them on the 
morrow ; we turned our weary footsteps to where 
we had left our ponies, and thence had a ten-mile 
ride in intense cold to camp. This ride was very 
nearly a bad business for me; my feet — shod in 



A touch of frost — A grand stalk. 197 

English sliootiiig-boots — had got damp m the snow, 
half melted by the rays of the sun, and during the 
ride home had got partially frozen ; they were quite 
benumbed at first, but after many and vigorous 
rubbings with coal-oil (paraffine) and keeping them 
in a compress of the same, pain set in, and no further 
harm resulted than the loss of skin, and more or 
less pain for many subsequent months. It was a 
lesson to me, however, which I did not forget. 
Henceforth I wore nothing but " gum boots," — that 
is, boots made of indiarubber, which I had luckily 
sent for by L. to Laramie, — and with the most 
satisfactory results. 

As may be imagined, the next morning was like 
that of the 1st of September in old Eton days. Very 
early was our start, and " You bet, Sirree," no time 
was lost in getting back to where we had seen the 
band of bulls the previous evening. We then soon 
" took the trail " and followed it some little way, but 
finding it was leading us up towards the ridge of the 
divide, Ave thought it would be more advisable to try 
and find them by sight. After some hours " speer- 
ing " about the open spaces in the timber, we were 
gladdened by the sight of the whole band quietly feed- 
ing on a very steep part of the mountain-side. They 
were undoubtedly our friends of the previous evening, 
the same in number and with the same remarkably 
fine heads, one in particular making my heart flutter. 

Now came the real excitement of the stalk. Leav- 
ing our bronchos well hidden in some thick timber, 
we sat down, and, " made propositions " as to how 
the stalk was to be made, how the wind was there, 
&c., &c. Griff showed himself an old and experienced 
hand, and having settled our plans, away we started. 



198 



Jl^andcriuQ's in the Western Land, 



At first some thick timber hid us well from view, 
but after getting through this, between it and 
the base of the steep hill on the side of which 
were the elk, we had to take the open. The 
quantity of loose stones and dead timber afforded 



^ - fiii|»"#^ 




" AtY KIKST WAI'llI." 



From a Sk-etcli bi/ A. P. V 



US some shelter, but being covered with snow they 
made the travelling difficult and tiring, and I was 
glad enough to get on to the firm ground of the 
hill-side, steep as it was. Having toiled up this to 
a level at least as high, if not higher, than where 
the elk were, we took advantage of some scattered 



A chance at last — A steady shot. 199 

undergrowth to reacli unobserved a ridge of broken 
and rocky ground, which abutted on to the edge of 
a very steep gorge, or " gulch." Arrived here at 
last, we knew the deer were on the opposite side of 
the gulch, but could not be certain of their exact 
distance or whereabouts. Cautiously peering along 
the edge of a rock, I saw within 150 yards of 
me a magnificent bull elk, the nearest of the 
band. Under ordinary circumstances I should have 
been well satisfied to have got such a chance, but I 
had seen a monster head with the band and knew 
that this was not it, and my heart was set on pos- 
sessing that if possible. As is so often — one may 
almost say always — the case in deer-stalking, the 
largest beast was not the nearest. On the present 
occasion I soon made out my grand head, bent in 
feeding about fifty yards or more beyond the nearest 
of the herd. But there was no chance of getting 
any nearer ; the gulch was too bare of cover to get 
into without being seen, and the nearest elk com- 
manded it completely. Nothing therefore was to 
be done but to settle down for a shot from where I 
was, and " tak' him noo." How it came on to storm 
just at this momentous crisis ! the keen wind blew 
the frozen snow into my eyes and face until they 
smarted again with pain, but the excitement was too 
intense to think of such trifles at the time. My one 
thought was to get the big head, and I did not care 
what I suffered so long as I could draw a steady bead 
on my beauty. Getting myself into the best posi- 
tion I could, I pulled off* as steadily as for a bull's- 
eye at a thousand yards. Bang went the rifle, but 
the big brute never stirred ; a moment more and he 
moved forward a yard or so, but in that short move- 



200 Wanderings in the Western La net. 

meiit I was able to see that he had got the ball 
well, and at once turned my attention to the first 
bull, who was standing quite still, trying to make 
out what caused the alarm. Taking him with 
my second barrel, I had the satisfaction of hear- 
ing him tumble into the gulch, setting all the 
stones rattling as he fell. Reloading, I fired 
again at the large elk, who was now bolting away 
with the rest of the herd ; whether I hit him or not, 
I do not know, but he disappeared with the rest. 
Without stopping to gralloch, or even look at the 
second beast, we started ofi" in pursuit of the " boss." 
There was no difficulty in taking his track in the 
heavy snow, he M^as bleeding so freely; but we 
were rather too rash in our pursuit, and rushed into 
sight as he lay about 300 yards off, and away he 
bolted again. H^e now left the trail of the rest of the 
band, and turnilig down the hill laid down amongst 
some timber. 1/ was then able to stalk in pretty close, 
and to give hi/n the coui) de grace, but not without 
some trouble,;«.s the vitality of the elk is very great, 
and as long al life is in them care must be taken not 
to give them'in opportunity for a charge. 

This was truly a magnificent beast ! such a grand 
head of fourteen points ; and what splendid points 
they were ! the largest of them measured twenty- 
eight inches in length ! The circumference of the 
horn round the coronet was twelve inches, and the 
greatest "timber" (Angl., beam or girth) was half 
an inch more. It was a very regular head, which is 
somewhat unusual in wapiti, the horns very often 
having curious growths and excrescences, probably 
arising from injuries when soft and young. After 
gralloching the big beast we turned back to the 



A '' Ri<^ht and Left r 201 

other, wliicli proved to be a very fine one, but his 

V 




A " KIGHT AND LEFT." 




A LARGE SCOTCH RED DEER HEAD. 

Drawn on same scale as TT'ajnti ahuve. 



points were a good deal damaged by the fall into 
the gulch. Griff judged the weights to be about 



202 Wandering's in the Westei'n Land. 

600 pounds each (over forty-two stone) when 
"dressed" (AngL, clean). 

We had a long pull back to camp, and encountered 
some very severe squalls of wind and snow, but what 
did the weather signify after such sport ? 

We had a little excitement, too, on the way in the 
shape of a strange camp fire about a mile off our track, 
and some little distance out on the plain. Judging 
from its position, so far away from the timber, Griff 
did not think it was likely to be a white man's camp, 
nor was it likely to be Indians here in North Park. 
We did not care, however, about investigating 
further, being only two of us, and curiously enough 
we never heard afterwards a satisfactory explanation 
of the unwelcome vision. 

Elated with yesterday's success, I was away early 
next day with GrifF to the southward of our camp, 
and after some hours' hunting sighted on the out- 
skirts of some timber a little band of elk, consisting 
of one good bull and a few cows. They had 
evidently seen us, and were uneasy, so leaving Griff 
with the ponies to keep their attention, I proceeded 
to stalk them by myself. From the commanding 
position they occupied I was unable to get nearer 
than about 250 yards, and then, seeing that they 
were about to move, I took a quiet pull at the bull. 
My first barrel missed him, but he stood still for a 
moment, and with ray second I had the satisfaction 
of seeing that I had decidedly scored. Off they all 
started, the bull with the rest, but after following 
the track some little way, we found that he had 
parted from the cows. This is generally an unmis- 
takable sign of a severe wound, and so it proved to 
be in this case ; for although I had a long piece of 



Our more fro?)! the Big Sandy. 203 

tracking, I got him afc last, after having "jumped" 
him four times, each time, except the last, with 
scarcely a chance of a shot. The head was a good 
one, though nothing like those of yesterday, nor was 
his body so heavy. 

The next day was spent by Griff and the Swede, 
Martin — who had now rejoined us after taking L. to 
Laramie^in getting the heads, &c., to camp. When 
this was accomplished it was too late to move camp, 
as had been our intention, for the weather had now 
become so severe and threatening, that we deemed 
it advisable to get down to a less elevated region, 
lest such a fall of snow should come as might cut us 
off from civilization. If this had happened we 
should have been obliged to abandon the waggon 
and our poor horses, the latter to perish of cold 
and hunger, while we ourselves would have had to 
to get out, on snow-shoes, as best we could. 

The next morning we made a very early start with 
all our goods and chattels from our encampment on 
the " Big Sandy," as the creek was called. Although 
the weather was intensely cold, and further delay 
was full of risk, I was very sorry to leave ; I had 
had such capital sport in this locality, and we 
had become so comfortably settled. I had grown 
quite fond even of the poor " Whiskey Jacks " 
(" Clark's crow," corvus ov ])icicorvus Colmnhianus), 
which so often associate themselves with camp life 
in the Rocky Mountains. In shape and size these 
busy birds are more like magpies or jays than 
crows, and reminded me much in their behaviour 
and movements of our black and white friends in 
the old country. The plumage is a sort of drab grey 
of various shades. We had always from three to 



204 Wanderings in the Western Land. 

five about our camp here, taking a most lively interest 
in all our proceedings, and ready to come down and 
peck at any scraps which might be thrown away 
while the cooking or feeding was progressing. Find- 
ing they were not interfered with, they became so 
tame that they used to perch and sit within a few 
yards of us. Their notes were lively and cheery, 
and any noise was welcome in these lonely wilds. 
The poor birds are often shot at by way of practice 
for the six-shooter, and then become wild and canny. 
They are found only in elevated regions, rarely 
descending below a 3,000-feet altitude. 

It was now the second week in November, and 
the cold was getting more severe every day. The 
winter storms had begun in earnest, and the weather 
in which we moved from the Big Sandy to Old 
Man Pinkham's was truly a caution. Almost from 
the very commencement it stormed, and we had 
to fight the whole of the way against a cutting 
snow, propelled by the keenest north-east wind. 
Griff would not stop for baiting or rest in the 
twenty or twenty-five miles, fearing that the horses 
would freeze. At times we could not see at all, 
the driving frozen snow was too blinding and 
cutting, and the cold was so intense that it was 
all we could do to keep ourselves from freezing. 
As it was, I lost the skin off my ears, although 
they were well tied over, and Griff was knocked 
up for many a day afterwards. When about six 
miles from Pinkham's we passed the minister, Rose, 
in a little open cart drawn by a mule and a pony, 
in which were his wretched wife and the four small 
children, rolled up in some scanty bedding at the 
bottom. How that poor woman and her infant 



Old nuiu Pijikhauis again. 205 

offspring ever got through that awful day I cannot 
imagine ; but they did, and moreover, two days 
later, crossed the Divide into the Laramie Valley, in 
the warmer clime of which they intended to pass the 
winter. One of our wheelers, Nell, " played out " 
(Angl.," broke down") within two miles of Pinkham's, 
and we were obliged to leave her to weather that 
night as best she could. I was very sorry to do 
so, but Ave could not help it ; for no one could stand 
the cold to stand by and coax her on, through such 
a storm as this. We hardly knew whether the poor 
beast would be alive in the morning, but contrary 
to the prevailing opinion of the inmates of the 
ranche, she was alive, and able to walk in to the 
shed which served for stables. She seemed, how- 
ever, never to recover from the eifects of that 
journey, and was not of much use during the rest of 
our hunt. 

The next four days we remained at the ranche for 
the benefit both of ourselves and of the stock, and I 
was here able to lighten our load by leaving the wa- 
piti heads and hides, to be sent from here to Laramie 
city, thence to be " expressed " eastwards for preser- 
vation. It was a great amusement to me superin- 
tending the packing, and talking over the trophies, 
and I will take this opportunity of saying a few 
words on this splendid representative of the deer 
tribe, of which I had now got such good specimens. 
The wapiti (cervus Canadensis), usually misnamed 
out here the " elk," is essentially the red deer of 
America, as the caribou is the reindeer, and the 
moose the elk, only with the wapiti the similarity 
with the European representative, except the size, is 
even more marked than in the case of the other two. 



2o6 



Wandcrijios in the Western Land. 



As far as I could ascertain, its habits are identical 
with our red deer. The " bulls " (or stags) go with 




WAPITI FEEDING. 



From a Sketch h>j A. Biersfadf. 



the "cows" (or hinds) till the rutting commences, 
about the beginning of October. This season lasts 
about six weeks, after which the bulls keep by them- 
selves in small " bands " or herds. As I have on other 
occasions observed of deer in foreign climes, they re- 
cover their condition very quickly after the rutting 
season is over, which is doubtless owing to the superior 
quality of pasture compared with that which our own 
red deer can obtain, and it is a merciful provision 
of nature that the spring is far advanced before their 
constitutions are called upon to bear another strain 
in growing their colossal hoi'us, which do not become 
sufficiently hard to allow of the velvet being shed 



The Wapiti^ habits, &c. 207 

before the beginning of August. From this time to 
the commencement of the rutting season, the bulls 
are in their best condition. In colour they are a 
rich reddish brown, with very dark, almost black, 
points. A full-grown bull will stand from fifteen to 
sixteen hands in height, and will weigh about forty 
stone " clean," and a good cow will weigh nearly 
thirty stone. The meat of the cow is considered of 
finer quality than that of the bull, and remains good 
all through the winter. 

Wapiti are, I believe, easily domesticated, but 
when in that state the bulls are said to be very 
unsafe during the rutting season. I heard of a 
man in the Eastern States being caught when 
crossing an enclosure in which some were con- 
fined, and having been rescued with the greatest 
difficulty from the attack of a savage stag. Good 
mocassins, or rather leggings, are made out of the 
skin of the hind leg, peeled oif for a few inches above 
and below the hocks, the bend of the hock formino- 
the heel of the boot. I found the wapiti as difficult 
to stalk as red deer, but I believe when in largfo 
herds they are not so wary, and do not get under 
Way so rapidly, as when alone, or in small lots. 
When in motion they are not so swift as smaller 
deer, and on this account it is sometimes easy, 
when they are massed together, to obtain what 
the hunters call " a stand," that is, a chance 
of firing an unlimited number of shots into the 
brown before they can get sufficiently far away to be 
out of shot. I have heard of as many as seventeen 
of all sorts and kinds — bulls, cows, and calves — being 
killed in this way on one occasion by a single 
repeating rifle — an unsportsmanlike proceeding 



2o8 IVandcj'higs in the Western Land. 

well calculated to hasten the extermination of this 
the handsomest of the deer tribe. 

Old Man Pinkham's had been somewhat trans- 
mogrified in the short time since we were here on 
our way up the park. The " old man " was away on a 
hunt after what are called here " bison," in distinction 
to the butTalo of the plain, but of this hereafter. 
The ranche had been turned into a sort of inn, and was 
"run" (Angl., conducted) by a Frenclunan and his 
wife. The solitary room had been divided in half 
by a thin board partition, to make it, I suppose, 
rather more private for the wife ; but the numbers 
who slept under this roof were such that very little 
privacy could be secured even under these new con- 
ditions. 

Here I parted with the Swede and engaged a man 
from La Porte, on the Cache la Poudre, by name 
Edward Herridge, together wit]i his waggon and 
team of horses. " Edd," as he was called, was a 
native of Devonshire, but had emigrated here when 
only a few years old. It would seem that from 
earliest boyhood he had been a regular WeWdnd^ 
having run away from his parents when very young, 
and since then spent his life in wanderiug on horse- 
back — or "packing," as he called it — through most, 
of the Western States. He had gone through a 
very varied experience of hardship and excitement, 
and although still a fine and well-made man, and 
only about thirty-five years of age, yet from the 
many serious accidents which had befallen him, and 
from the hard life he had led, he was much weak- 
ened both in physical strength and constitution. 
He and Griff now formed my paid retinue, but 
besides them 1 had two volunteers, friends of Edd, 



Aly nczv '' oiitjiir 209 

wlio were anxious to see tlie country I was about to 
visit, and in return for being fed by me rendered 
such services as cooking and camp work, besides 
occasionally assisting in the hunt. These two men 
were called Lee and Hank. The former was a well- 
made, active young fellow of about thirty, who had 
originally been brought up in a druggist's shop 
*' down east," but had preferred a wild western 
life of sometimes mining, sometimes hunting, to the 
tame routine of civilization. He, too, had seen 
some wild work. In self-defence he had been 
obliged to shoot two white men, one in a card row, 
the other about a cow. One of these unfortunates 
was killed on the spot ; the other still lived, and, it 
was believed, waited for revenge. He was a good- 
natured, obliging fellow, and I never had any occa- 
sion to find fault with him. The other volanteer, 
Hank, although under thirty years of age, had 
already seen more roughing and hardships than fall 
usually to the lot of even a frontier man. He had 
done a great deal of what is called " freighting," that 
is, carrying goods for the Government or private 
traders from the railway stations to outlying posts. 
In his wanderings he had seen much, and had it not 
been for his excessive use of the strongest western 
phraseology, he would have been a very entertaining 
companion. Hank was our cook, and a very good 
and enterprising one he was. So after Curly Rogers 
left us, on Cow Creek, a little further down the 
Platte, we mustered five hands all told, and this 
was our strength through my subsequent hunting 
campaign. 

For nearly two months from this time I did 
scarcely anything but hunt. Those, therefore, of 

p 



2IO Wanderings in the Western Land. 

my readers who do not care for tins amusement 
would do well, according to Bacon's advice, to taste 
and not digest the pages devoted to my sporting 
adventures, until Rawling's Spring, on the U.P.R., 
is reached. 

Whilst my stock and outfit were recruiting and 
refitting at Pinkham's, I went np the park with m}'' 
new acquaintance. Hank, to fetch down the first elk 
I had killed. The weather had been so intensely 
cold that there was no fear of its having been spoiled 
by its lengthened sojourn on the hill ; in fact, so 
severe was the frost now, that all the meat required 
for cooking, had to be chopped with an axe. So far 
from being detrimental to the quality, this freezing 
process appeared to improve it both in tenderness 
and flavour, and to make it far better than the same 
meat killed during the warmer season and eaten 
fresh ; I found that this was a fact well known to 
hunters. 

We had about eleven or twelve miles to drive 
from Pinkham's before we turned ofi" the plain 
towards the mountains where the elk lay. The 
snow being very deep our progress was slow, 
and it was late in the afternoon before we reached 
the stream which we had to follow towards the 
high ground where we were to camp for the 
night. Arrived here we took the horses out, made 
a fire, and cooked some meat. Whilst Hank was 
so employed I thought I would have a little hunt in 
the surrounding timber. I soon struck some fresh 
tracks, and, keeping a sharp look-out, was speedily 
gratified by seeing four large bull elk browsing in 
an open place about half a mile off. Unfortunately, 
they were in a very commanding position, and I 



A sticcessful stalk. 211 

soon saw that tlie most I could do would be to get 
a long shot from the opposite ridge, and that that 
could only be done if I could get unseen into the 
hollow below. Marking the ground carefully, I pro- 
ceeded to carry out my ideas ; but when I got on to 
the nearest ridge I found the distance from the elk 
was further even than I had expected, and that they 
were still at least two hundred and fifty yards 
off. Seeing, however, that I could not get any 
nearer, I determined to make the best of it, and, 
picking out the bull with the finest head, I waited till 
he gave me his broadside, and then pulled ofii* 
steadily. Away dashed the four big beasts into the 
thick timber, every one of them apparently unin- 
jured. Faithful, however, to a good old practice, I 
went to the spot and took their tracks, to satisfy 
myself that I had not scored. I had not gone very 
far on the trail before an occasional crimson shilling 
lay on the pure white snow, and then a little 
further on a large splotch of gore showed that the 
deer had received a fatal wound ; then a few hun- 
dred yards more, and my eyes were greeted with 
the sight of the grand beast lying on the snow. 
He was not quite dead, however, for he quickly 
jumped on to his legs, and I, as quickly, put a tree 
between him and me; but he soon fell again and 
died without another shot. He proved a very fine 
beast, with a magnificent head of thirteen points. 
After discussing with Hank an appetising meal of 
antelope venison, we proceeded to gralloch him, and 
then set out to look for the small log cabin which 
was described as being somewhere in this locality, 
and in which it was our intention to pass the night. 
We searched for it as long and as closely as we could, 

r 2 



2 I 2 Wajidcrinos in the Western Land. 

for the weather was fearfully cold, and we neitlier 
of us fancied an al fresco camp in such threatening 
weather ; but no hut could be found, so, when dark- 
ness came on, we had to seek the waggon, and make 
the best arrangement we could for a night in the open. 
Another meal of fresh -baked bread and meat and 
tea, and then we settled down for the night. With 
my Old Country prejudices against sleeping on the 
ground, I preferred the waggon covered over with 
the sheet, whilst Hank — a very old campaigner — 
spread his blankets on the frozen ground, close to 
the immense pitch-pine fire, and I feel pretty sure he 
had the best of it ; for the wind certainly did come 
■up through the chinks and cracks of that mean 
old waggon, and mighty cold I was before the 
morning broke. Hank appeared comfortable enough 
when he aroused from his slumbers, and had no 
complaints to make. On the contrary, he was full 
of congratulations that it had not stormed during 
the night, and that it had been so fine and quiet. 

Besides being a good cook, he was a very cheery 
fellow, and whiled away the time pleasantly enough 
during meals with stories of his experience in 
freiofhtino^, of which he had done much to and from 
the mines and the Indian "agencies," These "agen- 
cies " are Government posts, at which the Redskins 
reside during winter, and where they are fed and 
clothed by the Government on condition of good 
behaviour. According to all accounts, the rob- 
beries perpetrated by the officials of these posts at the 
expense of the Indians have been scandalously great, 
and this is, I believe, one of the principal sources of 
the hostile feeling which now exists between the two 
races. The Indians have been promised so many 



Mismanagement of the Indian Btircan. 2 1 3 

tliousand blankets, or whatever else it may Lave been, 
by the Government on certain specified conditions, 
which the Indians on their part generally honour- 
ably carry out. And so, too, would the United 
States Government were they not baffled by their 
employes, who, after the money has been voted by 
Congress, subject it to a regular system of black- 
mail as it were, on its way to the Redskin. Of the 
rascality practised, every one who travels through 
this country and comes in contact with the fre- 
quenters of posts, will probably hear enough. It 
would appear as if the Indian Bureau from top to 
bottom has been mismanaged and corrupt. Even 
after the blankets and clothing have been purchased 
and sent to the agencies, the Indiau rarely gets them 
without paying for them, nor, when paid for, are 
they of the quality intended by the " White Father." 
I have been told too that goods sent as free gifts by 
Government are ofteu sold by the officials to the 
Indians actually before they have been unloaded 
from the waggon in which they have been brought 
to the post, and that a single blanket is not unfre- 
quently cut in half and sold as two. 

So much for dishonesty ; now for mismanagement. 
Last year, I heard from a man who freighted for the 
Government to the Red Cloud Agency in the Black- 
hills, that at the time the United States were at war 
with a portion of the Sioux, under the leadership of 
the famous " Sitting Bull," by some means or other 
the squaws at this Sioux agency were enabled to draw 
rations for 13,000 mouths, whereas there were not 
half that number of Indians here. The surplus, 
however, was useful to the Indians, as it assisted 
to support " Sitting Bull " and his band in their 



2 14 Wanderings in the JVcsicrn Land. 

difficulties with the troops, and as a chmax, it is said 
to have been conveyed to the warriors on horses stolen 
from the whites ! The horses " run off " by Indians 
last year in that district alone amounted to no less than 
ten thousand ! So said my informant, and I can quite 
believe it, judging from the many stories of similar pur- 
port which reached me from all sides. It is alleged 
that the number of the United States troops is so 
miserably small, having regard to the posts they 
have to occupy, that the local commanders are afraid 
of dealing out even justice to the white and the 
Indian alike. The whites complain that if Indians 
steal their horses or stock near a post where the 
troops are few and the Indians numerous, they 
get no redress from the commandant from his fear 
of creating a disturbance, and are obliged to put up 
with the loss. My informant himself was engaged 
in " freighting " to a Government agency, when, on 
one of his journeys, he was met by some Indians at 
a short distance from the post. One of them claimed 
one of his horses, my friend objected, and the case 
came before the commandant. The Indian stated 
that the horse had been stolen from him two years 
before; the white man proved that the horse had 
been in his own possession over three years. But 
the Indians were numerous and independent, and 
the troops but few ; so it was thought politic to 
decide in favour of the Indian ! 

Such cases naturally create and keep up a very 
sore feeling on the part of the white settlers towards 
the Indians, and one hears frequent vows of ven- 
geance to be taken on the Redskins should this sys- 
tem continue. I am not going to dogmatize on the 
Indian question. My stay in the country was too 



The Indian g nest ion. 215 

short to enable rae to get more than a cursory 
insight into the case as between the United States 
people, the Government, and the Indians. As far 
as I could gather, I believe that Congress, as the 
representatives of the people, mean to be just and 
fair in their dealings with the Indians ; but that 
their intentions have been hitherto most extensively 
thwarted by the slackness and corruption of the 
Indian Department or Bureau. The poor Indians 
are the chief sufferers by this ; a great deal of the 
money voted to ameliorate their conquered condition 
feathers the nests of the officials and subordinates. 
No wonder then that they cease to believe in the 
white man's promises. 

There is another cause which has created much 
ill blood between the two races. Certain parts of the 
country are assigned to different tribes on condition 
of their resigning their rights to their natural pos- 
sessions wdiich may be required for settling or other 
purposes. These assigned districts are called " reser- 
vations," and are guaranteed by the United States 
Government. It often happens that in a short time 
the population of settlers has increased largely and 
that it has overflowed into the assigned districts, per- 
haps from stock runs or minerals having been opened 
out. In either of these events the Indian must go, 
nolens volens, and the Government will scarcely have a 
voice in the matter. Naturally enough, this process 
of expulsion will not be carried out without strong 
remonstrance on the part of the Indians. They 
rightly look upon it as a breach of faith, and set 
themselves to work to oppose it by force. Then 
follow massacres — whenever a white man is killed it 
is called a " massacre " — reprisals, and all the 



2 [6 JVande7^m^s in the Western Land. 

horrors of Indian warfare. Troops are collected, 
and a campaign takes place, in which not unfre- 
qnently, being inferior in numbers and no better 
armed, the soldiers are at first severely " whip- 
ped." A bad precedent is thus established, and 
the well-armed, independent, and brave Indians 
are encouraged to resist and prolong a miserable 
war which can have but one issue. This system, 
toofether with the frauds committed aofainst them in 
the matter of supplies, has created a feud between 
the mass of the Indians and the whites which can, it 
is feared, only end with the extinction of most of the 
320,000 Indians now still existing in the United 
States territory. 

Very disparaging comparisons are often made as 
against the United States Government, in contrasting 
our management of the Indians in Canada and theirs 
here. I dare say there is a great deal of truth in what 
is said. For instance, the Dominion Government 
does not — as has actually happened Avith the United 
States Government — undertake to supply the Indians 
with good cattle, worth $40 each, and allow a con- 
tractor to give them Texan brutes worth $11 each, 
which the Indians are obliged, in self-defence, to 
shoot the day after delivery. But, on the other 
hand the flow of settlers into Canada is very 
different from that into the States ; consequently 
lands in Canada are not so keenly desired, nor 
have mining discoveries been made there, pos- 
sessing the same force of attraction as in the 
States. The Dominion Government has not there- 
fore been brought into the same immediate contact 
with the Indians, nor consequently had the same 
difficulties to deal with. When the time comes that 



The Indian question. •■ 217 

this Government shall require for her white settlers 
tracts of country now occupied in perfect freedom 
by tribes as warlike as the Sioux of the north or the 
Commanches of the south, then will commence her 
-Red Indian difficulties. Let her profit by the ex- 
perience and misfortunes of the States Government, 
and let her, under all trials and difficulties, continue 
to practise that unswerving good faith in her inter- 
course with the natives which has hitherto redounded 
at once to her honour and security. If this policy be 
adhered to, we may hope that the lamentable feeling 
of hatred and mistrust now existing in the States 
between the two races, will never be aroused to the 
same extent in the Dominion. It may perhaps be 
doubted whether, even under conditions the most 
favourable, the entire extinction of the Red Indians 
can long be delayed. It would appear as if, 
wherever the whites and the red men of the West 
are brought into contact, diseases and the ac- 
cursed fire-water do their work and carry off the 
Indians with fearful rapidity. Maladies which are 
not fatal to the white man attack his red brother 
with the virulence of the plague ; hence the In- 
dians are diminishing so rapidly that, without any 
extraordinary causes, we shall soon have them only 
known and handed down to us by the works of 
historians and novelists as the most pugnacious and 
enduring, but at the same time the most cruel and 
cunning, of nature's warriors. Attempts have been 
made to induce them to take to agriculture, and, I 
believe, in some cases with partial success ; but, as 
a rule, they are too fond of their wild, marauding life 
to settle down to peaceful labour, at any rate so long 
as they are able to procure meat and hides sufficient 



2i8 Wanderings in tJie Western Land. 

iiiv a bare subsistence, and for the purchase 
of rifles and other necessaries only to be procured 
from the posts and settlements. Some few tribes, 
such as the Shoshones, appear to be too lazy to 
follow any sort of active life; the}'^ would rather 
exist from hand to mouth, and pass a miserable 
and precarious existence hanging about the haunts 
of the white man. But these are the exception ; the 
vast mass of the Red Indians prefer the wild but hard, 
trying life of the war-path and the hunt with all their 
atten<^lant uncertainties and dangers. If, perchance, 
there exists in some of them any portion of the 
energy which has enabled the native Indian of the 
east of Canada to adapt himself to civilized life 
so as to appear in some departments of industry 
a worthy opponent of the white, it lies very 
(hifipf and has not yet been '* tapped ;" for even in 
the older States, where labour is A'ery highly re- 
munerated, and where any sort would be welcome 
and well paid, he is an incorrigible loafer, and 
seems to yrei'ar a life of loitering, Ix.'gging, or 
pilfering to the slightest regular exertion. I am, 
however, bound to add that I have hafl but few per- 
sonal opportunities of acquainting myself with the 
cliaracters of the Red Indians, and that most of my 
information is derived from conversations with 
iiettlem and hunters, whose opinion- v.-f re certainly 
not exempt from prejudice. 

One cannot help feeVmg very sorry for the unhappy 
lUifhikin. and conscience suggests that matters might 
have be^:;n very different had one's own race ?K:;haved 
more wisely and justly tcjwardm him. It would srx^m 
to be now too late for regrets, and that the only 
problem remaining is how to make the process of 



extinction as painless as possible. Let iLsixope that 
at anv rate in future, those spots of refuge on bis 
nati\-e soil will be strictly respected, and that he 
may be allowed to pass away quietly on them, pro- 
tected as far as practicable by his ^'-^ White Father '' 
from the headlong and dispossessing energies of the 
irresistible settler. 



CHAPTER XL 

" oh, no life is like the mountaineer's ; 
His home is near the sky, 
Where, throned above this world, he hears 

Its strife at distance die. 
iS^or only thus through summer suns 
His blithe existence cheerly runs — 
Ev'n winter, bleak and dim, 
Brings joyous hours to him ; 
When, his rifle behind him flinging, 
He watches the loild deer springing. 
And away, o'er the hills away, re-echoes his glad ' hurra ! ' " 

T. Moore, " Evenings in Greece J^ 

The log cabin — Ifeturn to Pinkham's — Encampment on the 
Platte — More wapiti — Bad hunting — Disagreeable adventure 
— Independence Mountain — The deserted cabin — Sad history 
— After Bison — " Drummer " — A spoiled stalk — No luck — 
The ]\Iountain Bison — Magnificent scenery — Doleful prognos- 
tications — Encouraging gossip — "Back tracks" — Indian ex- 
periences — "Bill Wale's" — Old quarters — On the move — A 
puma's " cache " — The beast himself — Exciting hunt — " He's 
our meat "—Great joy — A severe walk — On Beaver Creek — 
A wounded wapiti — " Curly's " misbehaviour — Awful wea- 
ther — A red-letter day — Almost a tragedy — Hunting for 
" Griff " — Ned's " sport " — Men's amusement — Clothing — 
Stimulants — A welcome return. 

It was easy enoagli the following morning, in the 
bright light of day, to find the hunting cabin, use- 
less to us now, but looking very comfortable as I 
recalled the miserable night I had passed in the old 



Pinkham s again — Move of quarters. 



o 2 I 



waggon. We observed that close round tlie cabin 
door a wolverine bad been prowling tliat very night ; 
the tracks were quite perfect in the snow, and he 
seemed to have had a mind to go in at the open door. 
Perhaps I might have had a shot at him had we passed 
the night there ; who knows ? and I thought with 
regret of having for a second time missed the oppor- 
tunity of getting a specimen of this quaint animal. 

We got back to Pinkham's that evening, and passed 
almost the whole of the next morning in skinning, 
salting, and packing the remaining wapiti heads 
ready for "expressing" eastwards. This work 
finished, the next morning we " pulled out," and en- 
camped on the Platte, six miles below Pinkham's, 
just at the entrance to the can on through which the 
river passes out of North Park. The snow was so 
deep that our teams had had enough for one 
day by the time we reached this spot, and we were 
anxious ourselves to have a hunt amongst the neigh- 
bouring rocky ledges and forests. The Platte is here 
about fifty yards across, but it is by no means so vo- 
lumnious as one would expect from the immense area 
it drains. It is a very curious thing that this river 
never seems to get any larger as it flows onwards, a 
fact much commented on by the natives, amongst 
whom it bears a very bad reputation for the shifty, 
treacherous nature of its fords. Both these traits 
may arise from the porous or absorbent nature of 
the soil over which it flows. Another peculiarity it 
possesses is that neither it nor any of its tribu- 
taries contain trout, whereas the South Platte and 
its streams abound with them — an interesting pro- 
blem for naturalists. 

A few hours' hunt after making camp enabled us 



222 ]]\indcrings in the Western Land. 

to find a band of elk, consisting of thirty cows and a 
large and a small bull. It was too late to attack tliem 
that evening, so we returned to camp, having marked 
well their whereabouts, which was a sheltered gulch 
or dingle running down to the frozen river — and a 
nice mess Edd Herridge and myself made of it when 
we did " go for them ! " Early the next morning 
we looked for them where we had left them, but they 
had moved away in the night, and it was some little 
time before we " struck" them again, on a bare ridge, 
surrounded with pine forest. We then took counsel 
together and arranged how they were to be got at ; 
but, unfortunately, Edd was somewhat precipitate in 
his movements, and I was not cool nor decided enough 
to make the best of the chance I got. The stalk 
was well conceived, but badly executed ; for, after 
having got well within shot of the herd, they made 
us out before we could see the bulls, and went off at 
a gallop. All I could do was to let drive at about 
eighty yards at a fine cow, as we wanted meat for 
camp, the bulls not being then in sight. In conse- 
quence of the lie of the ground, after the deer had 
once started, we could not see them again until 
about 300 yards off, when they were all disappearing 
into the thick timber. Edd had got his American 
" Sharp " with him, and after I had once fired, com- 
menced a veritable file-fire, but the result of this 
expenditure of powder was — I am ashamed to say 
for my own part — none killed; four separate 
tracks gave proof on the snow that this number of 
poor beasts were wounded. We followed the trail 
for miles, but without coming up with any; then 
Edd said he would return and see if he could find 
any fresh game near where we had discovered the 



Rduni to cavip — Troitgh the ice. 223 

herd in tlie morning. Here lie got a cow elk, which 
Griff and I strongly suspected was the one I had 
fired at first, as it was so close to the spot of our 
first onslaught. 

I followed on the tracks of the wounded deer with 
Curly Rogers, until it began to storm and became 
so dark that we had to make back tracks towards 
camp as fast as we could. Neither of us knew 
the country, and we were foolish enough to try 
to get back on the frozen river through the cailon. 
The ice in some places was very thick and strong, 
but in other places, where the current was swift, 
it was rotten and treacherous, but we got along 
pretty well until we reached a spot where almost 
perpendicular rocks jutted out far into the bed of 
the stream. These rocks were smooth, slippery 
granite, with scarcely any foothold. Curly was 
afraid of the ice near them, the current being evi- 
dently very strong, so he counselled climbing the face, 
to cut oft" the small promontory. I was willing, 
but tried it in vam. I could get no foothold with 
my " gum boots," and kept slipping back time after 
time. Curly, shod in mocassins, was able to manage 
it, but I had at last to give it up. There was then 
no other course open for me but to try the ice. It 
was getting quite dark now, and Curly had just said 
that if we did not take care we should not make 
camp that night ! — a pleasant prospect with the 
thermometer anything below zero, and no food or 
blankets ! On to the ice I went ; at first it bore me 
notwithstanding portentous crackings, but just as I 
thought I should manage it all right, crack it went, 
and in a moment I was in the freezing water. For- 
tunately it was not very deep, and by struggling 



2 24 Wanderings in the U^esieni Land. 

tlirouo;!! tlie ice I reached the shore. Here I found 
Curly awaiting me ; he had heard the crash and 
was on the alert. Now came the only real danger, 
namely, freezing. I thought the best thing to do 
would be to take off my long boots, empty out all the 
water, and substitute fo]* it the contents of a flask of 
brandy, with a small deduction for the internal use 
of Curly and myself. Curly evidently thought that 
it would have been far better if the whole had gone 
down our throats; but my previous experience of 
freezing made me very careful to save myself, if pos- 
sible, from a repetition. A sharp hour's walk then 
brought me to camp not much the worse for the 
adventure. 

I was out early the following morning on a quiet 
hunt by myself, but saw nothing except the fresh 
tracks of a small puma, or of a lynx. Whilst I was 
hunting half my party were moving camp to an 
old log cabin on Independence Mountain, about 
eleven miles from our present encampment, and in 
the neighbourhood of which we hoped for elk. 
When I got back from my morning's work I had an 
excellent lunch of elk's brains fried with eggs and 
bacon, and then set off alone on my broncho, 
following the tracks of the waggon wheels. I 
reached the cabin in good time, and found Griff and 
Curly comfortably housed in this solitary abode. 
The hut consisted of a single room about twenty- 
five feet long by twenty feet broad, remarkably well 
and substantially built of fine round logs. When it 
was built and by whom no one now knows, but it is 
supposed to have been the work of a party of miners, 
who had selected this pine-clad slope to supply them 
with the lumber necessary for their operations, and 



On Mount Independence. 



225 



it was tliouo'lit that about tlie year 1872 they were all 
massacred by Indians. This was abont the date of 




THE MINER S LAST ABODE. 



Trom a Sketch by A. P. J', 



the larger massacre of which I have already spoken, 
and which occurred on this same mountain. The 
only clue to the occupation of the original inmates 
were the remains of a small smithy close by, and the 
weird stumps of felled timber in the immediate 
neighbourhood of tlie hut. Such is life in these 
wild parts ! All record or memory of even who or 
what the poor fellows were has died out in this 
short period, and their well-built dwelling alone 
remains, a welcome resting-place for occasional 
hunting parties or chance miners ! It lies well for 
the latter, being on the way between the Hans Peak 
Mines and Laramie city, from which it is distant 
some sixty miles. Each successive party had left the 
cabin in a little worse condition than they found it ; 

Q 



2 26 Wanderings m the Western Land. 

it was in consequence gradually getting out of repair, 
and no one appeared to have even swept it out, for 
it possessed a most uninviting floor of thick dirt. 
However, a log hut in apy condition was not to be 
despised in so severe a climate and season ; and too 
glad were we to avail ourselves of its shelter from 
the intense cold. Amongst various relics left by 
past occupants were the remains of a head of a 
mountain sheep, suggesting that these animals 
existed in the neighbourhood, and' kindling hopes 
and thoughts of coming sport. From this hut I 
managed only one day's hunting, which resulted in 
a couple of long and fruitless shots at two bull elk, 
who had got our wind and were on the move. 

Having been told of two herds of mountam bison 
on the western side of North Park, and E. Herridge 
having stated that he knew their whereabouts, which 
was only a day's journey from here, I was tempted 
to delay and have a hunt for them — a somewhat 
risky proceeding, as it was now the middle of No- 
vember, and we had to pass over two divides to get 
back into the western part of the park. If a fall of 
snow took place whilst we were in the park, we 
should have great difficulty in extricating even our- 
selves ; waggons and all imjpedimenta would certainly 
be lost, and we should be lucky to save the horses. 
Under these circumstances I determined to go lightly 
equipped, and to take with me only the lightest 
waggon and as little as possible in it, with Edd and 
Curly Rogers to cook and do camp work ; the rest 
of the outfit were to await our return at the cabin. 

The drive was a lovely one. After crossing the 
divide above the cabin, we followed up a magnifi- 
cently-timbered valley, which at one point narrowed 



After niotuitain bison — ^^ Dniuinicr.'''' 227 

to a gorge or caiion, widening out again a little 
higher up into two broad glens. The snow was 
deep, and we had to mount considerably ; conse- 
quently our progress was so slow that when camp- 
ing time came we were still some way from the 
bison country ; but an early start next day brought 
us b}^ one o'clock down far enough into the park to 
be able to take a hunt that evening. 

Whilst making camp, two bull elk were seen 
walking quietly over a high ridge above us. I at 
once started in pursuit, leaving the two men to 
finish the operations. A steep climb brought me 
to the spot where they had crossed the ridge, 
and as the snow was fresh and heavy, I had 
no difficulty in tracking them. When I had last 
seen them going out of sight they were browsing 
and walking quite cannily, and the wind being well 
in my face and the travelling very quiet, I felt 
sure of soon getting shot. But the best pro- 
spects are often doomed to disappointment, and so 
it was with me on this occasion. Edd Herridge 
had a bloodhound which he valued much, named 
" Drummer ;" this brute was reported to be a most 
wonderful sporting dog, but I never saw him do 
anything except disturb a whole district. My 
dog " Ned " had evidently the same antipathy to 
" Drummer " as I had myself, as, although a much 
smaller dog, he could not help fighting him about 
once a week, when poor "Ned" always got the 
worst of it, which did not in any way interfere with 
a renewal of hostilities on " Ned's " part within a 
very fcAv days. Well, I had not gone far on the 
track when I was joined by " Drummer." He was 
such a nasty-tempered brute that his master him- 



2 28 Wanderings in the Western Land. 

self did not much like offending him ; so after try- 
ing to drive him back to camp, and his refusing to 
go, I did not think it necessary to take rougher 
measures, but determined to trust to his reputed 
training. We proceeded on the track quietly enough 
for some time. It was evident we were close on the 
elk; the old dog's eyes glistened, and he showed 
anxiety all over. Once or twice he attempted to 
push a little in front of me, but a gentle reminder 
with the rifle barrel on his head brought him back 
again. Every moment I expected to see something 
of the fine beasts ; every fresh bit of ground was full 
of excitement ; my nerves w^ere at the utmost pitch 
of tension, but withal I felt very deadly. All of a 
sudden, with a bound and a rush, the old villain of 
a dog shot past me, and in a minute more I heard him 
" jump " the elk, and commence his useless yelping. 
The scent had become too hot for the old brute, and 
he had been unable to resist it any longer. What 
my feelings were may perhaps be imagined. At 
first I felt inclined to send the contents of my rifle 
after him, but luckily restrained myself from so 
useless a proceeding. 

In the afternoon we made a careful survey wdth 
my stalking-glass of the plains frequented by the 
much-coveted bison, but not a sign was to be 
seen of them. They had evidently moved off" to 
winter quarters, and where those were, Edd had no 
notion. Everything was hard frozen, and covered 
with snow too deep, no doubt, for any representatives 
of the cattle tribe. I was very anxious to get one 
of these so-called mountain bison, to compare with 
the buffalo of the plain ; but from all I heard after- 
wards, I became satisfied that they are one and the 



*' Mountain bison'' — Magnificent scenery. 229 

same beast. It is probable that these two small 
herds of about sixty each had been driven in days 
gone by up into the mountains by some accidental and 
exceptional scare, and had not afterwards returned 
to the lower grounds. Living much in the timber, 
they are seldom exposed to the sun, and consequently 
their coats become darker than if they lived on the 
shadeless prairie, while nature provides them too with 
longer hair, to meet the severer cold of these elevated 
regions. These are the great differences between 
them and the so-called buffalo ; they are said to be 
smaller, but if so this arises probably from a scarcity 
of food, as is the case with the mountain bears. 

When we had satisfied ourselves that the bison 
had " skinned out," we made for camp in a some- 
what depressed state of mind. But my want of 
success in hunting had been much compensated by 
the magnificent scenery I saw this day, unsurpassed 
by any it had been my fortune as yet to come 
across. The views from the ridges were very grand. 
Within a very short distance to the west, started 
up a grand range of mountains attaining a height 
of at least 13,000 feet. Dense pine-forests clothed 
them to within two or three thousand feet 
of their summits, beyond which the pure whiteness 
of the snow was only broken here and there by 
serrated masses and peaks of volcanic rock. This 
range seemed almost to join on to the more distant 
range to the south-west, called the " Rabbit Ear" 
(or " Rabbadere ") Range, which is here the main 
divide of the continent. Away to the north 
stretched the mountains we had travelled along, 
in which was Mount Independence, and further 
to the north and west was the so-called Hans 



230 Wa7idei^inos in the Western Land. 

Peak Range. The boldness and abruptness of tbe 
outlines were*very striking. Tlie whole scene was 
wrapped in *iat profound and indescribable stillness 
which so often accompanies intense cold. Heavy 
banks of cloud were heaping up to the westward, 
which, although they added beauty to the magnifi- 
cent sunset, betokened in E. Herridge's opinion a 
coming storm. Keenly anxious was he to "pull 
out," and get back to the cabin on Mount Indepen- 
dence ; and now that I was satisfied that there was 
no chance of bison, and that it would be only fool- 
hardy to remain longer, with two " divides " between 
"US and civilization, T felt I ought to accede to his 
wishes. 

Soon after dark it began to snow a little, which 
led to the most doleful stories from Edd of sudden 
falls, from two to four feet in depth ; of how last 
year a trapper in this district only got out by aban- 
doning his waggon, and packing what he could on 
his horses ; of how two years ago, in the neighbour- 
ing Hans Peak Range, two trappers, being caught by 
an unexpected fall of snow, only escaped themselves 
on snow-shoes, and lost all their goods and chattels, 
and had to shoot their horses to save the poor 
brutes the misery of dying of starvation. 

Then he had another tale with a very sad termi- 
nation, of two trappers who had taken in pro- 
visions, and arranged to spend the winter here- 
abouts, to hunt for furs, and who had calculated 
on being assisted in their commissariat with the 
flesh of the beaver they caught. Their trapping 
not proving very successful, they began to get 
short of food. They then settled that one of them 
should ^Qi out on snow-shoes, whilst the other 



A sad story — Edcfs Indian experiences. 231 

remained behind, subsisting on the provisions still 
left. The man on whom it fell to make the attempt to 
reach civilization eventually did so in a very exhausted 
condition ; and whether he thought his partner had 
sufficient food to last him till the coming spring, or 
whether he could not get back to him with fresh 
stores, Edd did not know, but, at any rate, he did 
not return until the trails were open in the 
spring. He then found that his poor partner had 
not been able to hold out, and had died of cold 
and hunger. 

Undoubtedly such stories did not encourage delay, 
so early next morning camp was struck, and we 
turned our faces once more towards the old miner's 
cabin. We passed on our way near the scene of 
the Mount Independence massacre of 1870, and this 
led to Edd recounting some of his many Indian 
adventures. On one occasion, he had been saved a 
skirmish with the Indians in the Black-hills of 
Dakotah by breaking his leg, in consequence of 
which he had been unable to continue his journey. 
The Indians " ran off " the horses of his outfit, but 
the " boys " were too quick, and shot seven of the 
marauders before they could get away. 

On another occasion he was " packing " across 
the country with another " boy," when they were 
followed late one evening by Indians. They were 
able to pitch their tent in a very narrow cafion, 
which could only be approached on one side. The 
next morning the Indians attacked, and commenced 
a heavy fire into the tent. Being, like most Red- 
skins, singularly afraid of losing their lives, they 
did not dare to come to close quarters, and Her- 
ridge and his partner, by lying flat on the ground 



232 



lVanderin(!:s in the Western Land. 



until the Indians had done their shooting, escaped 
unhurt. 

Another of his stoi'ies showed how pluck and 
presence of mind may desert even these frontier men 
when most needed. Herridge, with a man named 
Bill Wales, and another, was " packing " through 
the Sioux country, when two warriors of that tribe 
suddenly appeared, galloping towards them. Her- 
ridge thought they might be the advance-guard of a 
party, and that there would be more following, so 
counselled taking up a position behind some big rocks, 
where they could defend themselves to advantage. 
Bill Wales, who was a sort of desperado, was, on 
the contrary, for fighting, and said, at any rate he 
meant to have some fun. Herridge and the other 
man having vainly endeavoured to dissuade him, 
ensconced themselves behind the rocks, and watched 
the issue. Bill was an experienced hand, was well 
mounted, and well armed with an American Henry 
rifle and two six-shooters. His right game was to sit 
still, and to await quietly the attack of the Indians, 
shooting them down as soon as they came within 
sure range. But when the critical moment arrived, 
his nerve apparently forsook him, and he wheeled 
his horse round and galloped away. The leading 
Sioux quickly and easily rode alougside, and shot 
him dead without the slightest trouble. He then 
scalped him, and rode away with the ghastly trophy, 
and Wales's horse and firearms. Edd and his partner 
were witnesses of the whole proceeding, but did not 
dare take any part in it, nor did they think it pru- 
dent to leave their natural fortress till the following 
morning. They were so struck by the easy way in 
which the Indians overtook Bill Wales, that they 



Bill Wales end — An appetite. 233 

measured the next day the strides of the respec- 
tive horses, and found that of the Sioux to 
be twenty-two, against twenty-one feet covered 
by Bill Wales's, which was a remarkably fine 
animal. 

Fortunately for us the threatened storm still held 
off, and very little fresh snow having fallen, since 
we passed over the track, we were able to reach 
the cabin in good daylight. Hank had got us 
ready a most excellent supper, consisting of soup 
made of the ribs of the fat cow elk, fried slices 
off the haunch, and, as usual, capital bread. My 
appetite in these parts was scarcely credible ; I was 
able to consume this very day, with the greatest 
comfort to myself, no less than six meat meals. The 
frozen venison is such food as I have never come 
across in civilized parts. It has a flavour and juici- 
ness which no domestic meat I have ever tasted 
possesses, and it is as tender as well-kept "Welsh 
mutton. 

It being now the end of November, the cold in- 
tense and the snow very deep, my men thought it 
probal)le that the bands of elk and deer would by this 
time have moved down the Platte to lower regions. 
We therefore decided to follow their example, and 
settled on a stream called Beaver Creek, about fifteen 
miles further north, for our first camping- place. As, 
however, some of our stores were running short, we 
settled that Evans should drive the lio:htest wag-g-on 
back to Pinkham's Ranche, get what was required, 
and rejoin us there, where we would remain encamped 
until his return. As it turned out afterwards, this 
was a risky proceeding so late in the year, but as 
Griff proposed it himself, and the rest of my outfit 



2 34 Wanderings in the Western Land. 

offered no objections, it never entered into my head 
as being in any way dangerous. 

I was always glad to escape tlie tedium of riding 
alongside the waggon when moving camp, and as the 
range between Mount Independence and Beaver 
Creek was well covered with timber, and very likely 
for elk, I determined to hunt the way on foot, taking 
the boy Curly with me to assist in finding the new 
camp in the evening. On leaving the hut we struck 
up at once into the timber, and within a couple of 
miles crossed the deep canon, through which the 
torrent called "Big Creek" flows. "What a pity it 
is that the old Indian names are lost. These 
wretched, commonplace appellations, such as Horse 
Creek, Cow Creek, Sand Creek, given in early times 
are repeated over and over again, and mountains, 
settlements and mining camps alike enjoy the same 
miserable disregard for practical, not to say eupho- 
nious, names. ^ Not long after starting, we came 

^ The following extract from a supposed colloquy between two 
old mining " prospectors " on meeting after a long separation, 
written by Dr. Degnool, gives an admirable idea of western 
nomenclature and phraseology : — 

" But where ye been, Jim, ever since 
We left the Stanislow, 
And pull'd up stakes down there at Dent's, 
Now eighteen years ago ? " 

" "VVal, since the time that we put out 
On that stampede from Stoney, 
Been mos' the time knockin' about 
Down into Air-e-zony (Arizona). 

" Only been back a month or so, 
And thought I'd take a tramp 
Through the old diggins, 'long with Jo, 
Who stops at ' Nigger Camp.' 



Western nomenclature. 235 

on a mound of snow, in which it was evident 
something had been " cached " or hidden by a 

" Started from Alpha on our trip, 
And passed up the Divide, 
Through ' Tangle-Leg ' and ' Let-Her-Rip,' 
' Red Dog ' and ' Whiskey Slide.' 

" Then after leaving thar we went 
Down by the ' Tail-Holt-Mill,' 
'Crost ' Greenhorn IMountain' to ' Snow Tent,' 
And up to ' Gouge-Eye Hill.' 

"From 'Gouge-Eye' down to 'Esperance,' 
' Slap Jack ' and ' Oro Fin ; ' 
Through * Deadwood ' over to ' Last Chance,' 
* Root Hog,' and ' Lost Ravine.' 
***** 

" Then came along to ' Poverty,' 

'Dead Broke,' and 'Bottle Ridge,' 
By ' Hangtown,' ' Poor Man,' and 'Lone Tree.' 
' Garotte,' and ' Smash-up Bridge.' 

" Through ' Nip and Tuck ' and ' Old Bear Trap,' 
' Coon Hollow ' and ' Fair Play,' 
Along by ' Scorpion ' and ' Fir Gap,' 
' Kanaka ' and ' El Rey.' 

'•"VVe stopped one day at 'Never Sweat,' 
Another up at ' Ophir,' 
Then moved our boots on to ' You Bet,' 
And struck across by ' Gopher.' 

"To ' Sucker,' near ' Grass Widow Bend,' 
Whar, as 'twas getting late. 
We brought our journey to an end, 
Down by the ' Devil's Gate.' " 

Then in this striking little poem Jim goes on to inquire after 
common friends : — 

" Wal, Dan, you've been about some, too — 
But tell me, if you know. 
What has become of Ned McGrew ? 
And whar is Sleepy Joe % 



2^6 Wanderings in the Western Land. 

wild animal. On further examination we found 
the fresh tracks of a large " mountain lion," or 
puma. As they were what is termed in western 
parlance " burning hot," I was for trying to overtake 
him by following on ; but Curly, like all the hunters 
I came across, was strongly impressed with the 
common opinion that it was hopeless ever to try to 
overhaul a mountain lion, that they were continually 
on the move, always slouching and travelling and 
watching, and he thought nothing was to be done. 
In a very disconsolate mood at having been so near 
this rare and much prized animal, I sat down on a 
rock, and began to spy with my glass the barren 
spaces in the timber for anything I might see. 
Whilst so employed, I was surprised by the small 

" And Poker Pete and Monte Bill, 
And — I forget his name — 
What used to run the Whiskey Mill, 
And keep the keno game % " 

" Well, as for Ned, can't 'xactly say, 
But 'bout the t'other three. 
The last, we heard, were up this way 
A hanging on a tree. 

" Went into the Road Agency, 
Along with Texas Jim ; 
The Vigilants of Montany (Montana) 
Likewise also got him. 

" Sleepy was drown'd at ' Upper Dalles,' 
And so was Al La Tour, 
Went in a skift over the falls, 
And we didn't see 'em no more. 

" Some think that Xed was eat by bears, 
And I most think so, too, 
'Cause didn't one gobble up Nick McNaros 
On the trail to Cariboo ? ' 



''A niotuitaiii lion " — " An exciiing chased 237 

greyliound Curly had with him making a sudden 
dash away from us. " Hulloa, Curly, what does she 
see?" " Don't know ; maybe it's the mountain lion," 
and so sure enough it was. About 300 yards off 
this object of my greatest ambition was quietly 
sloping away from us through the timber. I opened 
fire at once, but after a few shots I soon found that 
I must try and get nearer if I wanted to hit him, 
for tlie bullets were cutting up the snow very short. 
Curly' s dog soon overhauled him, and actually made 
a snap at his tail before the lion seemed aware of her 
presence; but once was enough, for the beast 
immediately wheeled round, showing such a front of 
teeth and claws that the greyhound retreated, as fast 
as she could, for our protection. I then put " Ned " 
on, and he and the greyhound again came up witti 
him. The dogs barked at him, but on the same for- 
midable fi^ont being presented, they both turned tail 
and sought safety with us. All this time I was not 
idle. I was running as hard as I could through 
three feet of fearfully heavy snow, trying to get near 
to an isolated piece of thick timber, for which it was 
evident the lion was making. I thought he would 
not rest there, but travel through it, and that I 
miofht o^et a chance at him as he broke on the other 
side. So it turned out, but he passed so quickly 
through the thick timber that I was still about 250 
yards from the edge of it when he reappeared on the 
other side. He did not give a good broadside, not 
being more than half on to me, but there was no 
choice in the matter ; I must take this chance or none, 
so sitting down and pulling myself together as well 
as 1 could after the run, I opened fire. All the 
shots dropped short, although 1 kept giviug more 



2^8 Wander ill <:j;s in the Western Land. 



■ o 



and more elevation, until about the sixth, when I 
had the satisfaction of seeing one of his forelegs drop 
helpless, with a wild lash of his long tail. His pace 
now quickened from a trot to a canter, and he soon dis- 
appeared over the neighbouring ridge of the Big Creek 
Canon. Then came a shout from behind, "Hurrah, 
he is our meat," from the breathless Curly, who had 
followed close on my heels. I, too, felt very sanguine 
of eventually getting him, as the leg appeared to be 
broken very high up, and the ball had probably entered 
the fore-part of his body. Moving quickly on, Ave made 
straight for the place on the ridge where he had disap- 
peared. Here all was bare rock, the strong wind hav- 
ing swept the ridge clean of snow. On looking over 
we could at first see nothing of the lion, nor could we 
take up his track, and I was just going to put "Ned" 
upon his scent, when I suddenly espied the bullet-head 
protruding over a rock about eighty yards below us. 
He was keeping a sharp look-out below, but, singu- 
larly enough did not seem to apprehend danger from 
the very direction in which he had received his hurt. 
Crawling cautiously forward until I opened his whole 
body, I took a quiet, deliberate shot, and put the ball 
in just in front of his loins. This completely para- 
lyzed his hind quarters, and he rolled off the rock 
like a rabbit. Down we rushed, expecting to find him 
lying dead beneath the rock ; but not a bit of it, the 
game was not up yet. He had pulled himself 
together, and was sitting on his haunches below the 
rock, looking awful in his ferocity, growling and 
snarling, and showing his teeth, and making the 
claws of his forefeet start out in a most suggestive 
and unpleasant manner. It was a sight worthy of 
Landseer's brush, and such a backing of wild scenery 



Run into — " The death.'' 239 

as would have warmed the heart of that great painter. 
The skin was so beautifully clean, and the specimen 
such a perfect one, that I felt sorry at having to give 
him the coujp-de-grdce by shooting; but although 
paralyzed as far as any aggressive movement was 
concerned, he still possessed one formidable fore-leg 
uninjured, besides a fearful mouth, and when 
approached he took care to show he meant to use 
both. I was looking out where to shoot him with 
least injury to the skin, when Curly wanted to try 
if he could not kill him with a " rock " (Angl., stone). 
I had no objection to the attempt, although I looked 
upon it as a perfectly useless proceeding ; but the 
"boy" was all game, and having selected a couple of 
large stones, he approached as close as he could, then 
delivered the first of these missiles with unerring 
aim, striking the beast a tremendous blow between 
the eyes. An enraged and bitter growl was the only 
result. Nothing daunted. Curly hurled the second 
stone, which took effect on the point of the nose. 
For a moment the eyes closed and the head dropped, 
and like lightning, Curly's keen knife was buried in 
the lion's throat. It was out again in a second, and 
lucky it was so, for the beast quickly recovered ; but 
the knife had done its work, the jugular was cut, 
and life's blood was ebbing slowly but surely away. 
He proved a magnificent adult male, measuring eight 
feet six inches from nose to tip of tail, and weighing 
about 150 lbs. We took the skin off there and then, 
but the operation occupied two hours, and precious 
cold work it was after our hot chase. When finished, 
Curly shouldered the hide, and I the two rifles, and w^e 
made the best of our way oS" the range to the plain 
below. We were at least fourteen miles from the 



240 Wanderings in the ] Vest em Land. 

nearest place at wliicli our outfit could have made a 
camp, and it was quite possible they might have found 
it necessary to go still further before a good supply 
of fuel was struck. The snow was very deep, and the 
travelling very heavy. My light companion, shod 
in mocassins, made easier work of it than I did, 
but by the time we had reached the lower plains he 
had had quite enough of carrying the skin, and 
suggested hanging it on a tree till the morrow, when 
a pony could be sent back for it. My only objection 
to this was lest the mischievous coyotes might get 
hold of it, but Curly assured me that the lion was 
the " boss of the country," and that all other animals 
would take good care to give the scent a very wide 
berth. 

The cold became so piercing that Curly got 
"scared "at being frozen, and as soon as he was relieved 
of his burden made off for the new camp, leaving me 
to follow on his track as best I could. This was 
easy enough in the heavy snow as long as daylig'ht 
lasted, and luckily before it got very dark I had 
struck the trail made by our waggon. I must con- 
fess that I was well-nigh "played out" before I 
reached camp, between seven and eight o'clock that 
night. But T had had a great day's sport, and after 
having got through a prodigious supper, I almost 
forgave Curly for deserting me. I found that he 
had arrived a very short time before me, and had 
already narrated the events of the day to the rest of 
the men. They were greatly surprised at my luck ; 
none of them had ever killed a " lion," and on my 
expressing some regrets at not having had time to 
follow a bull elk I had seen on my way home, 
Herridge said, " Why, a lion is worth forty bull elks." 



TJic riioinitain lion — Bad zccat/icr. 241 

I may add tliat tlit; American pnma {j'^'Vtx con- 
color) is considerably larger and more tawny 
than the Indian variety, exactly resembling an 
ordinary lion in colour ; lience the local name, as it 
might at a distance be very easily mistaken for at 
small lioness. The specimen I had got turned out to 
be an unusually fine one, and in perfect health. 

We were now encamped on the north fork of 
Beaver Creek, and were to remain here until re- 
joined by Evans with the necessary stores. The 
camp was not altogether well-selected ; there was 
plenty of wood and a beautiful little stream of 
water close by, but we were not sheltered from the 
fearful cold wind, which came tearing down from 
the mountain range to the w^estward. 

The long-threatened storm broke on us here, and 
we had a time of it, with a vengeance, for the whole 
week of our stay. The first day, although the 
storm had begun, was not so bad as to prevent my 
going out in the afternoon for a hunt with Herridge. 
We were lucky enough to get a stalk on two large 
bull elk in the timber, the finest of which I got, and 
wounded the second ; but this one went away 
straight over the range, and notwithstanding all 
"Ned's" efforts to turn him and bring him to bay, we 
failed to get him. We nearly had an accident with 
the other bull, from trying to finish him without 
firing another shot, and so further disturbing the 
ground. After the first shot the poor beast had 
gone on a little way and laid down, and was so sick 
that he could not rise again ; he had, however, the 
full use of his head, and it was a matter of danger 
to get too near him. Herridge said, that by getting 
the horns round a small tree he could keep him 



242 Wanderi7igs in the Western Land. 

down whilst I finished him with the knife. Know- 
ing the strensfth even of a red deer under these 
circumstances, I rather doubted Edd's powers, 
but as he was an old and experienced hunter, I 
waived my own opinion, and consented to take my 
part in the operation. At the first touch of the 
knife the powerful beast violently released himself 
from Herridge, and, fortunately for me, I either fell 
or was thrown out of reach of his horns. One 
attempt was enough for both of .us, and a cartridge 
with a half-charge of powder was quickly called into 
requisition. 

On another occasion whilst hunting from this 
camp, I took out Curly as my assistant, but it was 
the last time I troubled him. The " boy " used to 
carry about an old soldier's rifle, which, judging 
from its shooting, must have been of the ram's-horn 
pattern of grooving. Certain it was that scarcely a 
beast had been slain by it during the many months 
Curly had been on the hunt, in spite of frequent and 
easy chances. If, however, it did not kill, it "scared " 
as much as the most accurate "express." Curly 
was moreover very ambitious, and I had had more 
than once to declare most positively that only with 
my leave was he ever to use his rifle. Up to this 
time he had behaved remarkably well, but to-da}^ 
the spirit of keenness overcame his obedience, and 
taking advantage of my stopping to try some very 
heavy timber with " Ned," he went off on the hunt 
on his own account. I missed him, but not thinking 
much of it went on alone. Presently I spied with 
my glass two fine bull elk in an open place amongst 
the timber, and having thought over quietly how 
they were to be got at, proceeded to carry out my 



Ctirlys misbehaviour — Great cold. 243 

plans. Imagine my disgust on hearing, when within 
some 500 yards of the deer, the sharp crack of a 
rifle, followed by another and another, and yet an- 
other ! On scuttling up a little rise as fast as I 
could, I saw my two bull elk tearing up the range 
at full speed quite uninjured, while the worthy 
Curly was standing below, evidently disgusted with 
his misses, and gazing after the fast retiring 
forms ! 

But his hunt was not over yet; he had capital 
walking powers, so following on through the timber, 
he had actually three more chances at other wapiti, 
with equally futile results. After this he came back, 
found my tracks, and followed me, having come to 
the conclusion, probably, that it was no use any 
longer trusting to his own shooting. I had gone 
on in a fever of indignation, and when he joined 
me I naturally gave him a bit of my mind ; so 
too, I fancy, did some of my men on his return to 
camp. 

Such trials of temper one must be prepared for in 
these regions, where it is often necessary to re- 
member and put into practice, if the trip is to be 
enjoyed, the advice of old Horace, to preserve 
equanimity under trying circumstances. 

The storm continued with increasing intensity for 
several days, the cold being truly severe. All our 
meat had to be cut with an axe, and my beard and 
eyelids were constantly frozen during the night. 
One day I tried to make a watercolour sketch, but 
the colour became ice before it had time to be ab- 
sorbed into the paper. The ink inside my bag froze, 
everything, in fact, froze that could freeze. We 
seemed to be approaching almost the miner's 

R 2 



244 Wanderings in tJic TFes/rrn Land. 

description of the cold on one of Ins expeditions, 
when he says, — 

" Cold up Nortli ! I've known a name 
To congeal in my moutli ; 
And that is how the saying came 
About the 'frozen truth.' 

" Yes ; and I have seen still stranger feats — 
You know, Jim, I'm no liar — 
The flames freeze into solid sheets 
As they rose up from the fire." 

A fiercely strong wind generally prevailed, and this 
made camp life jnst now anything bnt pleasant. 
Sometimes it was no easy matter to keep the fire 
from being blown clean away, which added con- 
siderably to the difficulties of cooking. Still I was 
wonderfully well, and fit and able to enjoy and take 
advantage of any break in the storm. 

A very enjoyable day after wapiti I call to mind 
especially — a red-letter day both in weather and sport. 
One of Edd's friends, Lee, had volunteered to come 
with me that day; and a very good assistant he proved. 

Mounting our bronchos, we started for the range 
lying to the north of our camp. Many herds of 
antelope were passed on the way, but they had no 
attraction for us to-day ; we were bent on a wapiti, 
and no inferior game would suffice. 

Having hobbled our horses at the moutli of one 
of the small caiions which come down to the plain, 
we started up into the range. We had not gone far 
on foot when we spied two magnificent bull elk 
lying in the open, in a sort of little corrie or punch- 
bowl. They were well placed for a stalk, so having- 
marked our ground, we got the wind all right, went 
round, and crawled in to the edge of the little hollow. 



A Slice cssf2il stalk — A grand beast. 245 

On looking through the long grass, a sight met my eyes 
quite sufficient to make even a more tutored heart 
beat fast. There they lay within easy distance, two 
gigantic bulls, with horns " like yoimg trees," as Lee 
whispered, in perfect and blissful ignorance of any of 
the human race being within a thousand miles. It 
was a beautiful sight and well worth enjoying more 
leisurely, but one knows from experience that, in 
stalking, a favourable opportunity is not to be dallied 
with. Selecting, therefore, the best head, I took every 
care to direct the contents of the first barrel to a 
vital spot and fired. Up they jumped and stood for 
a moment, trying to make out whence came the dis- 
turbance ; this gave me a good chance for my second 
barrel at the other bull, and down the liill he stag- 
gered, bleeding profusely and evidently mortally 
wounded. In the meantime, the first bull stood 
stock still, but as he did not drop, I thought it advis- 
able to put in another cartridge, and make sure. 
This brought him down ; so telling Lee to go after 
the other and gralloch him, I gave my attention to 
the first. 

He was a magnificent beast, a real prize ; and 
well satisfied did I feel on seeing him stretched on 
the ground before me. The length of his horns 
from coronet to tip was fifty-eight inches and the 
beam round the coronet twelve and a half inches. 
The other head was also very good, the horns being 
almost palmated, and on this account very peculiar. 
This made me regret the more the misfortune which 
befell it in " packing " it to camp, when the horse 
which carried it fell down the hill, and smashed it 
to pieces. 

After this great piece of sport we continued our 



246 Wanderings in the Western Land. 

hunt, and ran some risk of finishing the day with a 
real tragedy. Lee was leading the way through 
thick timber in which we expected to come across 
elk or deer, when all of sudden he dropped down 
and whispered to me, that he saw an elk feeding- 
close in front of us. With my rifle to the fore I 
took Lee's place, and certainly did see some beast 
pushing forward through the thick underwood, but 
I could not make out his head or his form, and 
waited anxiously until he should get to an open 
place a little farther on. I was of course at full 
tension, my rifle at the shoulder and at full cock, 
forefinger round the trigger, and eye along the sights, 
but mercifully did not fire, as Lee urged me to, 
until I could get a more certain view of my game. 
Well it was that I took my own line ! For when 
the beast did assume a more definite form, it was that 
of one of our own horses, mounted by Herridge ! 
He was followed closely by another of our ponies led 
by Hank, on which was secured the head of the elk 
I had killed two days previously. I must say my 
blood chilled ; but no harm was done, and it all 
ended in a hearty laugh, in which Lee joined the 
loudest. 

The weather continuing fearfully bad, we became 
very uneasy about Evans, who should have rejoined 
us some days ago. Herridge proposed to go in 
search of him on horseback ; and this being settled 
on, he left us early the following morning with 
the intention of making our old cabin on Mount 
Independence before nightfall. The storms had 
driven the game further down — a long and fruitless 
trudge through a lovely game country convinced me 
that the sooner we shifted our ground the better. 



Severity of the gale — ''Ned's'''' sport. 247 

The cold continued intense, and the gale very 
severe ; it was therefore in every way desirable to 
get down from this elevated region ; but until Evans 
had been heard of no move could be made. 

Those who have not experienced the winter gales 
of these high districts cannot conceive their severity 
and fierceness and the dano^er of beino- out in them. 
It was at times a difficult matter to cook our food, 
the wind blowing the camp fire away. Then after 
dark it was hardly possible to keep a light in the 
tents, and had it not been for a small coal-oil lamp 
I purchased before leaving civilization, I should 
have often been in darkness even at my meals. We 
had great trouble to keep the tents up ; in addition 
to the ordinary ropes we had to press into the service 
all the lariats from the horses, and even then I some- 
times thought, during the fearful gusts of wind at 
night, that I should be buried underneath canvas 
and snowbefore morning. No real damage, however, 
occurred duringthe whole gale, but it was monotonous 
and trying work when for many days we could hardly 
get outside our tent from morn to night. My men 
scarcely ever remembered such fearful weather, 
and certainly not before Christmas. 

Poor old " Ned " was the only one who had any 
sport during the worst of these weary days of storm, 
and this was of doubtful enjoyment even to himself. 
Near to our camp, in the banks of the stream, was a 
burrow of skunks. Curly had trapped one, but the 
stench was too strong for him even, and he had 
thrown it away, trap and all. Master " Ned," 
being bored, I suppose, at his confinement to camp 
all one day, thought he would stroll out in the 
evening and have a hunt. Very foolishly he selected 



248 Wanderings hi the Western Land. 

a skunk as the object of his r/^rt.s.sr, and he must have 
been ignominiously defeated, for he came back very 
dejected and crestfallen. Worse still for him, he 
was so odoriferous that I simply could not bear him 
inside my tent; and although very sorry for the 
poor brute, for the cold was fearful, I barricaded 
the tent-door with every possible obstacle before 
turning in for the night. Three times "Ned" 
charged, and on each occasion would have carried 
the work had I not used my voice as a second line 
of defence. Eventually he gave it up, and then 
with extraordinary sagacity waited until the camp 
fire was out, and dug himself a hole where it had 
been. The next morning he was not only alive but 
quite warm and " tickled" (Angl., jolly), and, more- 
over, had so singed his coat that all skunk smell 
had been burnt away, and he was once more 
endurable. 

During these days of inaction the men seemed to 
pass the time pretty agreeably to themselves. They 
used to sit huddled together in their tent, with a 
frying-pan full of glowing embers in their midst, 
round which they played cards and told stories. 
The smoke of the smouldering wood made it im- 
possible for any ordinary mortal to exist in the 
upper strata of this atmosphere ; oven to squatters 
on the ground it was so pungent as to cause the 
eyes to water and smart in a most unpleasant man- 
ner. The stories were chiefly of their own ex- 
periences in their many wanderings, and episodes in 
the early life of the frontier towns, all of which 
were told in the purest western vernacular and 
phraseology. 

It was, as may be imagined, very difficult to 



Clothiiig^Pcudrafion of the iviiid. 249 

keep oneself warm in sncli weather. In the day 
time my own onter clothing was of Scotch tweed, 
which I found very ill adapted to meet the severity 
of the weather. The wind seemed to treat two 
flannel shirts and two waistcoats as if the whole 
was net-work, so fearfully did it penetrate to one's 
skin. Buckskin is capital for keeping out the 
wind, and is well adapted to this very cold dry 
climate ; bnt I had not been " posted up " in such 
matters before starting and was ill-prepared for 
intense cold. I had tried to get a suit of buckskin 
sent up to me when Loyd left ; bnt it had been for- 
warded to Laramie Station, " C.O.D." (i. e. cash on 
delivery), and my messenger had not the wherewithal 
to pay, and so it had returned to Denver whence it 
came. As soon as I could I got a suit of " Cali- 
fornian goods," such as are worn by most of the 
ranchmen, made of a close brown canvas, lined with 
Californian blanketing, which I found excellent, 
being as impervious to the keen wind as buckskin, 
and at the same time warm and light. Under this 
J. wore two flannel shirts, and what is called here a 
" Cardigan," or knitted waistcoat with sleeves. 1 
found my English woollen under-garments and 
stockings far superior to what can be got out here, 
which my men designated as " shoddy." The 
material best suited for outer clothing should be 
light and close in texture, so as to prevent the 
penetration of wind, and at the same time allow 
free action to the limbs when walking. Some old 
hunters prefer the Californian goods even to buck- 
skin, which they think has a rheumatic tendency, and 
Avhich, no doubt, if wet, becomes disagreeable to wear. 
In all this cold I did entirely without stimulants, 



2=^0 



JVanderincs in the Western Land. 



"■ii 



nor did I feel the want of tliera in tliis fine dry 
atmosphere. I had one bottle of cognac with rae, 
but only for medicinal purposes, in case of accidents 
or illness, and my only drinks were tea and coffee. 
The men would have indulged freely in spirits, I 
have no doubt, but all they had was purchased by 
themselves, and therefore limited in quantity and soon 
exhausted. As long as it lasted they used to take a nip 
before breakfast of a drink composed of half rye- 
whiskey, half hot water, mixed with a little salt 
butter and sugar and nutmeg, and its flavour was by 
no means bad, odd as it may sound. 

The second afternoon after Edd left, a joyful shout 
was heard in camp. The snow had been falling so 
heavil}^ and the weather was altogether so miserable, 
that I had scarcely been outside my tent the whole 
day ; I could not conceive therefore the cause of this 
ebullition of spirits, and I rushed out, not knowing 
exactly what to expect. I was just in time to see 
Edd's and Griff's arrival, the former on horseback, 
the latter driving the light waggon. A curious 
sight they were, for scarcely anything but shapeless 
forms of pure white snow were to be seen in their 
respective places. 

Griff's story was soon told. He had waited at 
Pinkham's Ranche for the arrival of the stores from 
Laramie city ; the storm had come on, and the stores 
had been delayed on their transit. He had only 
left Pinkham's the previous morning, and had made 
the cabin on Mount Independence before dark, where 
he had found Edd Herridge. They had left the cabin 
very early that morning, and had had a fearful drive. 
Griff said it was so bad that he did not know how 
Edd had been able to find his way at all in the blind- 



Griff's return — Local news. 251 

ing frozen snow, driven with the wliole foi^ce of the 
north-westerly gale. There was a general feeling of 
relief in camp at the whole party being reassem- 
bled, and many were the vows not to get separated 
again under any circumstances. Griff brought much 
news, but all was strictly of a local character, such 
as the freezing to death of a man near Tyseiden ; J o e h'^it 
the severity of the storm even in the comparatively 
low Cache la Poudre district, where two feet of 
snow had fallen ; old man Pinkham too had had a 
successful hunt after the bison, of which he and his 
partner had killed five. But no intelligence of any 
sort or kind reached me from the civilized world, 
and I could not expect to get any now for many a 
week to come. 



CHAPTER XII. 

" Spreading "between these streams are the wondrous, hea\itiful 

prairies, 
Billowy bays of grass ever rolling in shadow and sunshine. 
Over them wander the scatter'd tribes of Ishmael's children, 
Staining the desert Avith blood ; and above their terrible war 

trails 
Circles and sails aloft on i)inions majestic the vulture, 
Here and there rise smoke from the camps of these savage 

marauders." 

Lomjfelloiv'b- " Eocutgefii/a." 

Move of camp — " Grand encam})ment " — A Curious character — An 
improved climate— More antelope — After sheep — No luck — 
Jack Watkins — Cold weather — Snow blindness— Sage hens 
— A disagreeable incident — The Mountain sheep or Big horn 
— Wild scenery — Austin's — A hungry coyote — More storming 
— Griti's tumble — An altercation — Awkward position — A 
fine Cafion — Near game — A sight at last — Bad luck — Con- 
solation steaks — A bear story — A mountain lion's den — On 
the move — Sage bush — An adventure — A strange night — 
Branding cattle — Wyoming fertility — Tim Foley — A solitary 
ride — A re-union — Independence llock — Indians — The Sioux 
— Arrapahocs and Utes. 

Although the next morning was almost as bad as any 
of its predecessors, we were so sick of our present 
camping-ground, tlie quantity of snow, and the ex- 
treme cold, that we determined to make an attempt 
at pulling out and getting further northwards to less 
frozen regions. It sounds odd to talk of going north 
to seek warmth, but so it is here. The lie of the 
elevated country slopes towards tlie north; the 



JMovc of camp — Grand ciicavipnicut. 253 

river, itself the North Phitte, flows nortliwards, 
running in a caiion cut through a land of open 
wastes and granite rocks. Our course lay over a 
plain nearly parallel with the river, with a range of 
high mountains on our left, and a region of rocks 
and foothills on the right. The slope to the north 
is pretty rapid, so that we hoped before many days 
to get out of the snow-covered country. We had 
now had so much of it that we were quite wearied 
of the white world, and I could well enter into the 
feelings of one of my men who informed me that when 
he saw bare ground again " he would lie on the 
ground and roll, like a broncho." 

The day of our move from Beaver Creek was a 
trying one, and it was with great difficulty we 
reached another stream called " Grand Encamp- 
ment," although it was only some ten miles off. 
Here we found a small cabin, inhabited by the most 
curious weather-beaten old buckskin conceivable. ]f 
that old fellow's adventures and experiences were 
chronicled, I am much mistaken if they would not 
be a trifle startling. He seemed to have known 
western life in every phase ; but he was not com- 
municative, except in his sleep, when I used to hear 
him talking away like a lunatic. I should like to 
have "interviewed" the old fellow, although I 
doubt whether I should have got much out of him; for 
even when all the rest were busily employed gossip- 
ing round the camp fire, very little came from his 
dry parchment-like lips. His present employment 
was minding a few head of cattle for their owner, 
named Bang, who had removed to a more genial 
cHmate. My men had no hesitation in taking pos- 
session of the cabin, in which proceeding, I must 



254 Wanderings in the Western Land. 

say, the old fellow most fully concurred, and too glad 
were we to exchange flimsy canvas for solid logs of 
wood, as a shelter against the inclement elements. 
We had, however, even in the ten miles improved our 
climate ; there was far less snow, and we had caught 
up the antelope, which, like ourselves, were retiring 
before the driving storms. 

Had I wished to kill a large number of antelope, 
now was my chance ; herds of them were to be seen 
feeding within a very short distance of the ranche, and 
I shot two fine bucks one morning within 300 yards 
of the cabin door. But I had already obtained some 
very good heads, and my great object was to get as 
far as I could a representative of all the mammalia 
worth killing. What I hoped for in this locality 
were mountain sheep. Vain hope ! Griff and I 
hunted hard, but not a trace could we find ; nor did 
our old buckskin lead us to believe that any existed 
in this neighbourhood, and I fancy the old fellow 
was above the average run of hunters. We deter- 
mined therefore to make without delay for the range 
of mountains lying further north and to the right of 
the Platte, to which belong the well-known Elk and 
Sheep Mountains. On them I hoped to find my oves ; 
but on our way thither we came across a hunter 
friend of Herridge, who gave so deplorable an ac- 
count of the game prospects there that we changed 
our course and struck straight away for the Medicine 
Bow Range and the other mountains still further 
northwards. 

What a pity it is that civilization must destroy all 
wild life ! From this aforesaid Elk Mountain only a 
few years ago, at the time of the making of the 
Union Pacific Railroad, one celebrated hunter, named 



Scarcity of game — "-Jack Wat kins'' 255 

Jack Watkins, was able to send sufficient venison 
to feed the whole army of "constructors" on the line 
between Laramie city and Fort Fred Steele. JSTow- 
a-days an elk is rarely met with on the whole range ; 
and as for sheep, inviting as the rocks of Sheep 
Mountain looked, it was considered too poor a 
" show " for even a flying visit. 

Jack Watkins was, by-the-bye, a well-known and 
rather a respected character in these parts. He had 
the reputation of being one of the best shots and 
hunters ever heard of ; but when the railroad was 
completed, and the large demand for meat ceased, 
he seems to have given over his Nimrodian pro- 
pensities, and to have taken to the less healthy 
and very lawless vocation of " running a drinking 
saloon " without a licence. This was considered 
so serious a breach of the law, and such an injurious 
precedent, that even in these out-of-the-way parts 
it was decided that it must be put a stop to. 
Accordingly, his apprehension was resolved upon ; 
but, knowing their man, and that he was not likely 
to be taken without some trouble, the authorities 
deemed it advisable to send a whole company of 
soldiers to effect his arrest. The soldiers were 
halted at a short distance from the ranche, and 
the officer in command advanced towards the 
door. Here he was met by Jack Watkins, armed 
with his Winchester repeating rifle, who quietly 
remarked that he would probably have heard that 
he. Jack Watkins, was a remarkably good shot, 
and not likely to miss his man, and that, if the 
soldiers advanced any further, or did not at once 
" make back tracks for their camp," he would shoot 
every one of them, commencing with himself, the 



256 



]]\iudcriugs in the U\\^fcrn Land. 



officer. Tlie latter seemed to liave tlioiioht it probable 
Jack would keep his word, and that it was better 
therefore to retire while still intact, which he accord- 
ingly did. " What do you think of that, Sirree ? " 
said my informant, Lee, glowing with admiration at 
Jack's successful defiance of the authorities. " Well, 
I should have gone the next day with a battery of 
artillery, which would soon have knocked the ranche 
about Jack's ears," was my reply, at which, and my 
enthusiasm for law and order, Lee seemed " quite 
put about." 

Our camps now were generally in close proximity 
to the frozen Platte. The strono- winds and fall of 




CAHPING-GKOUND N'E.\R THE FROZEN PLATTE. 

Frum a Sketch by A. P. V. 



snow had ceased, but the cold continued intense. 
My thermometer, as I have already stated, was 
made to register only a few degrees below zero, and 
had struck work long ago, so I could not take the 



Great cold — Snozu blindness. 257 

temperature myself; but we were here at a far greater 
elevation and higher up in the valley of the Platte 
than Fort Fred Steele, where, during these severe 
nights — at the end of November — the Government 
observations had registered 25° below zero. From 
our position, I think it would be within the mark to 
assume that we were at least 10° colder, in which 
case we should have undergone 6?° of frost ! Pretty 
cold for under canvas ! 

All our surroundings continued covered with a 
thick coating of snow, and when the sun was out 
the dazzle and glare became most painful and trying 
to the eyes. Some of my men wore coloured goggles, 
and blackened underneath their eyes with charred 
wood. By adopting this latter expedient and using 
dark glasses I got on pretty well, though often in 
the forenoon I was nnable to look about much. 
Snow blindness is not uncommon in these parts. 
The boy " Curly " had had an attack, and dreaded 
much a repetition. 

My men now left off pitching their tent at all. 
They preferred to lie on it, with a couple of large 
fires built on either side of them. Fortunate it was 
for our comfort that stillness prevailed, and that we 
were able to enjoy in peace the great luxury of the 
roaring camp fires. We had luckily plenty of dead 
cotton wood for fuel, and for food the primest venison 
(antelope and elk). We despised mountain hares — 
called here "jack rabbits " — as also the " sage hens " 
or "cock of the plains" (centrocercus urophasianiis) . 
These are magnificent birds, as large as capercail- 
zies ; the cock measuring as much as two and a half 
feet in length, and weighing ujd to six pounds. They 
live entirely in the open, and take long high flights 

s 



258 Wanderiuos in the Western Land. 

like black game. The plumage is of a brownish 
grey, sprinkled with white, the cock and hen being 
alike in colouring, but the former is larger, and has 
a somewhat long and pointed tail, which the female 
does not possess. They usually keep in packs, and 
are not difi&cult to approach. From feeding on the 
sage -bush their flesh tastes very strongly of that 
dwarf shrub, and this flavour was insurmountably 
unpleasant to me, and apparently to the men 
also, for none of those I killed were ever cooked. 
Coues says, in his "Birds of the North-West," that 
this disagreeable flavour can be got rid of by taking- 
out the intestines immediately on being killed. He 
states also that this bird has the peculiarity, in a 
scientific point of view, of possessing no gizzard, the 
stomach, instead of " being hard and very muscular, 
as in other gallinacea, is soft and membraneous, like 
that of the birds of prey." As they were no good to 
us for food, as soon as I had obtained, as many as I 
wanted for specimens, I gave up shooting them, but 
before this they were nearly the cause of a disagree- 
able adventure. It happened that one day I was 
riding near the waggons, when some of these birds 
got up and flew away behind us. I marked them 
down, and leaving the teams to continue their jog, 
started back alone for a stalk. When near the spot 
I got off my broncho, taking care to throw the bridle 
over her head, a proceeding which hitherto had had 
the desired effect of stopping her from rambling. 
But some demon possessed the animal on this 
occasion ; for having had my shot and secured three 
of the heavy birds, I retraced my steps, meaning 
to remount and gallop on after the waggons, which 
were by this time out of sight. The broncho had 



^1 disagreeable position — Antelope again. 259 

other views, for no sooner had I got within twenty 
yards of her, than away she galloped, and, worse 
still, in an opposite direction to that in which the 
waggons had disappeared. She stopped to graze 
some half mile off, when I approached her again, 
and with the same result. After this second flight, 
T sent "Ned" round her, which had the effect of 
stopping her for a few minutes, but very soon she 
broke the bay and bolted off again. I must say I 
felt anything but comfortable. It was getting 
towards night, the waggons were so far away that I 
had no chance of catching them on foot, even if I had 
been able to keep the track ; I had no food, and there 
was no fuel but sage brush for fire, and to be with- 
out a fire all night in this cold meant freezing 
before morning. My only chance then was to come 
to terms with my pony. Dropping the sage hens, 
I now set about a regular quiet stalk, and was lucky 
enough this time to get within distance of the drag- 
ging reins before she made her rush, on finding 
which she soon succumbed. Glad enough was I to 
feel myself on horseback once more, and "making 
time at a good round lope " after the waggons, 
which I overtook just before they made camp. 

We had now left the close proximity of high moun- 
tains, and were passing over a large prairie, through 
which the North Platte drags its sluggish course 
towards the Medicine Bow and Sweet-water country. 
On this plain were plenty of antelope; one day I 
killed three, but beyond taking an occasional stalk 
when they came on our line of march, I did not pay 
much attention to them. After leaving the higher 
mountains we lost all signs of elk, but I hoped 
to fall in with them again when w^e struck the 



26o Wanderings in the JVesiern Land. 

ranges further northwards, a hope destined to be 
disappointed. 

The Platte, here about thirty yards across, was so 
hard frozen that the waggons could cross it almost 
anywhere. It seemed a curious phenomenon of 
nature that at one spot on the banks of this ice-bound 
river a hot spring should be bubbling up on its 
very margin. I did not ascertain the temperature 
of the water, but it must have been very consider- 
able, for steam was coming off freely. A sort of 
little establishment had grown up around this 
spring, consisting of small log huts, in which were 
located the owner and a few invalids undergoing a 
course of the waters. Amongst these latter was, 
curiously enough, a true cockney, born within the 
sound of Bow Bells. He had been in America 
thirty years, and had suffered greatly from rheumatic 
pains in his limbs, which had become lately so 
severe that the doctors had wished to amputate the 
affected parts ! Fortunately he had heard of these 
sjorings, and was obtaining very great relief from the 
use of the waters. My native townsman was very 
keen to hear all he could about the little city, and I 
gratified him to the best of my ability. 

Cattle ranches were now pretty frequent, and we 
found at all of them great readiness to afford us 
shelter, and to furnish us with any iiecessaries we 
required. Some of these ranches kept a lot of milcli 
cows, and made a large quantity of butter ; others 
were able to secure stocks of hay, which realized 
$22 (4/. 8s. Ot/.) per ton, dehvered at the Govern- 
ment post of Fort Steele. 

The great oljject of my ambition now was to get 
a good specimen of the mountain sheep or big horn 



^Thc mo2intain sheep. 261 

{ovis montana). These much-coveted animals, corre- 
sponding to the ovis ammoii of India, and the 
moiifloii of Sardinia, inhabit elevated regions, in 
which rocks and ledges abound. They are scarcely 
ever seen in the plain, even in the immediate neigh- 
bourhood of rocks ; but should they be found there, 
woe betide them, for any ordinar}^ dog can then 
" tree them," that is, drive them on to the nearest 
isolated cliff or rock, and then the poor beasts can 
be shot at pleasure. Their habit is to fly when 
disturbed to the nearest precipices, from the 
ledges and points of which they can survey 
with composure their old enemies, the wolves and 
the pumas. The latter are said to have a marked 
partiality for them as a prey, and no wonder, for 
their meat is second to none, savouring more 
of venison" than mutton. They seem to be the con- 
necting link between deer and sheep. In size they run 
up to a red-deer, a full-grown ram weighing as much 
as from fourteen to eighteen stone " dressed " (Angl., 
" clean "). The skin is covered Avitli a very fine 
deer's hair, and the feet and legs are also like a 
deer's. But notwithstanding that it has so many 
points like the deer kind, yet the head, shape, and 
movements are so entirely sheep-like that the animal 
conveys much more the impression of a sheep than 
a deer. In capacity for scrambling it equals, if not 
surpasses, the chamois, rushing and jumping down 
such steep faces of rock as it would appear impos- 
sible for any creature even to crawl dowu. The heads 
of both rams (or "bucks," as they are here called) 
and ewes are furnished with horns, those of the male 
attainino' a mao^nificent size. I have been told of 
horns seventeen inches round at the base, and of 



262 ]]\inderings in the JFesfejvi Land. 

enormous length ; of a head that weighed sixty 
pounds ; but I never saw one more than ten or 
twelve inches round the coronet, or weighing over 
twenty-five or thirty pounds. It was an old idea 
that these animals were able to save themselves 
by falling upon their horns when jumping from 
great heights, but I need scarcely say that this, like 
many other hunters' tales, is without the smallest 
foundation. In consequence of the quality of the meat, 
and the estimation in which it and the heads and 
skins are held at the stores and trading posts, I am 
sorry to say that this quaint and attractive creature is 
becoming very scarce. It is very shy of civilization, 
perhaps more so than any of the deer kind, but it is 
met with at times and places when little expected, and 
on this account there is more of luck in hunting it 
than most other animals. It is excessivel}^ quick- 
sighted, trusting more to its eyes than to its nose to 
give notice of the approach of danger. 

I feel sure, after what I have said, that my brother 
sportsmen will enter into my feelings of keenness to 
secure a good specimen of this half-sheep half -deer. 
But the fates were against me, and I utterly failed. 
I believe, however, another Aveek's stay at one 
locality w^ould have put me in possession of more 
than one good head, but at that time I was obliged 
to move off elsewhere. And so it happened that I 
had eventually to turn homewards without a moun- 
tain sheep's head. 

But to return to our progress down the Platte. 
Not a single likely place for sheep was passed which 
1 did not try. Griff Evans was both an experienced 
and successful sheep hunter, and I had the benefit 
of his knowledge and advice. But expei'ience and 



Fine scenery — Attstin s ranchc. 263 

hard work were all of no avail, for we came across 
nothing but tracks, more or less old. 

If, however, the actual success was wanting, the 
hunt took me amongst the most magnificent scenery, 
where no human being but a sheep hunter ever 
thought of going. High ridges of bare red granite, 
split into peaks and precipices, on which, wherever 
the slope would allow, flourished cedars and splendid 
red pines. Through these rocky wilds wound the 
frozen Platte, hemmed in by perpendicular walls of 
rock hundreds of feet high, producing grand caiions 
which would be difficult to equal in wildness, 
grandeur, and desolation. 

One of the finest and wildest of these moun- 
tain ridges was in the neighbourhood of a ranche 
beyond the Medicme Bow Creek, occupied by 
a man of the name of Austin. A rough, but 
very hearty stock-man, he was one of those 
hardy characters to be met with only in the ad- 
vanced positions of civihzation. In past Hfe he 
appeared to have been always ready to fill any 
position that came across his path. At one time 
engaged as a soldier in the Northern army, fighting 
against his brethren of the South ; then taking his 
turn with his comrades in one of those wretched 
Indian wars ; and he was now settled down here 
with a partner of a kindred spirit, possessing about 
800 head of cattle and a score of horses, in a 
country but very lately held by the warlike and 
cruel Sioux, and probably still to be subjected to 
their raids. Here he retained much of his soldier's 
training. Everything in this ranche was done sys- 
tematically and by clockwork. Early hours were 
strictly observed. AYe breakfasted by lamplight ; 



264 IVanderhigs in the Western Land. 

and directly supper was over, about nine o'clock, 
turned in, when the solitary coal-oil lamp was 
turned out. This did not altogether suit the lazy 
habits of some of my men; but, as it offered 
greater chances of sport, it agreed well with my own 
keen spirit. 

The only piece of luck I had during my stay here 
was getting a coyote (prairie-wolf), which, being 
pressed with hunger, actually penetrated to the 
cattle-sheds by the ranche. We were sitting at 
breakfast one morning, when in rushed a cattle-boy 
with the information. Seizing my rifle, Iran out; 
it was so dark I could scarcely see the form of 
the animal, much less the fore-sight of my rifle, but 
I could hear the beast snapping his jaws at one of 
the dogs. He allowed me to approach so close that 
I could almost have struck him with the end of the 
barrel, when by a lucky shot I put a ball through 
his heart. 

On leaving Austin's we had to cross a low divide 
of the Seminole range, and when on a high, bare 
2)lateau came in for another of those fearful snow- 
storms. It was with difiiculty we made way against 
it, and glad were we when we sighted once more 
our old friend the Platte, on the banks of which we 
had decided to camp. 

On crossing the river on the ice, the first and 
only accident happened which befell any of our party 
in its wanderings. Griff Evans, who was, as usual, 
driving one of the teams, was jolted ofi' the high 
driving-seat, and falling on the side on which he 
carried a six-shooter, drove that weapon violently 
into his ribs. Luckily the result was nothing more 
than a severe bruising, but Grifl*did not for many a day 



Griffs fall — A disagreeable altercation. 265 

afterwards, take at all a hopeful view of his injuries. 
He was at first apparently but little hurt, and was 
able to take the leading part in a most disagree- 
able altercation between himself and Edd Herridge 
as to where camp should be made. Griff wanted to 
go some miles back to an old cabin on the side of 
the mountains ; Edd said it was too late in the day 
to go so far, and that he and the others would 
camp on the river, whatever Griff did. High words 
ensued, and at last I saw Griff's waggon, with my 
blankets, clothes, and other necessaries going in 
one direction, whilst the other waggon, driven by 
Hank, and containing all the food and cooking 
utensils, was bound in another. Then I thought it 
was high time to assert my authority. To be with- 
out the contents of either one of the waggons, 
even for a single night in such a climate, was too 
serious a matter, so I ordered Griff back, and both 
disputants to camp in a spot selected by me. This 
succeeded, and things went on much as usual. But 
when Griff's temper began to cool down, the pain of 
the bruise began to come up, and he bemoaned 
his sufferings loudly and persistently. Unfortu- 
nately, none of my outfit were adepts in the surgical 
art, and his groanings were such that I really 
began to be afraid he was seriously injured. I 
thought perhaps some ribs were broken, and had 
pierced the lungs or done some other internal 
injury. The affected part was so tender that he 
could not bear any one to touch it. I could feel his 
pulse, which was so quiet that I was reassured and 
endeavoured to comfort him, but without much 
success. By this want of " grit," as my men called 
it, Griff did not rise in their estimation ; they 



2 66 JVandei'uios in tJic Western Land. 



^i> 



declared that there was " too mucli of the grand- 
mother about him." 

It was pretty evident that we should be detained 
here some days, before Griff would be so far re- 
covered as to be able to move. Fortunately we were 
in the neighbourhood of a caiion of the Platte, said 
to be very good for mountain sheep ; and that there 
moreover resided at a ranclie close by, a first- class 
old hunter, whom I hoped to induce to accompany 
me on the hunt, and to show me the likely countiy. 
I found him most willing, and it was soon arranged 
that we should have a hunt the next day. Starting 
from his abode, which was close to our camp, we 
walked some little distance up the canon on the 
frozen river; and then turned up a very stony gully, 
between steep granite rocks, a sort of jidace which 
would be called a " screten " in the Highlands. 
The scenery was magnificently grand ; through 
the narrow and precipitous canon flowed the usually 
roaring river, now silenced in most places by a 
coating, not of inches, but of feet of ice ; only here 
and there, where the torrent was so rapid and 
weighty as to preclude freezing, Avas anything to be 
seen or heard of its waters. In these spots the 
stream appeared of a bright green colour, boiling up 
througli the dull white of the surrounding snow and 
ice. Magnificent walls of red columnar granite rose 
abruptly from the very edge of the river to a height 
sometimes of 1,500 feet, often in strange and castel- 
lated forms, like ruined strongholds. Occasionall}^ 
isolated rocks stood out like solitary giants ; at other 
times they ran up in one sheer face almost to the 
level of the mountain plateau above. It was curious 
to observe how in every little nook and hollow capable 



A canon of tJie Platte — Shecp-huntmg. 267 

of holdiiit^ a liaiidfnl of soil, luxuriated the cedar, 
the ])ine, oi' some of tlie many v^arieties of dwarf 
red shrubs which i^row in these parts. 




A CANON OF THE PLATTE. 



Trom a Sketch hy A. P. V. 



Up one of the most practicable of these slants we 
toiled, until we had readied the level of the mountain 
country. From the first it required but half an eye 
to see that my companion, Bennett, was a hunter of 
no ordinary merit. It did one good to see the care 
witli which lie scanned every rock as it came fresh 
into vieAV, and took note of every track we came 
across. Wo had got the wind all right, blowing 
straight down from the country we were going to 
hunt, and I felt full of hope. 

As we approached the ridge Bennett evidently 
thought we were near game ; he advanced to the 
sky-line with as great care and caution as the most 
experienced Highland stalker. I watch him closely, 



2 68 Wanderings in the lVeste7ii Land. 

and feel lie lias seen something. With an expressive 
gesture he motions me to keep low, and a gleam lights 
up his weather-beaten face. Crawling forward a 
little I am enabled to take in the ground he sees. 
Yes, by Jove ! there they are at last ! The beasts I 
have toiled so hard after for so many weeks, and 
almost within a long rifle-shot. What a heart-beating 
sight ! a herd (or " band " as they are here called) of 
about a dozen ewes and lambs and two bucks, one, a 
grand old fellow, the other a three-year-old. What 
game, quaint-looking creatures they are, with their 
rich brown and white coats and queer horns. They 
are lying and feeding on the other side of a gulch, or 
little glen, about 400 yards from where we are. Some 
of them are evidently suspicious, for their heads are 
up, and the old ram is already thinking of moving. 
Bennett is, however, as cool as a cucumber, and 
surveys quietly the intervening ground with the eye 
an old stalker. Quickly he pronounces the attack 
hopeless from this quarter, and whispers that we must 
get back as quietly as we can, return down the 
slope and get in on them further up the caiion. 
This we at once commence to carry out, and I hope, 
as we move away, that the beauties will settle down 
again, and that we shall be able to get a good 
chance at them from above. But, alas ! here I am 
again doomed to disappointment, for when we come 
next in sight of their whereabouts, not a beast is to be 
seen — all have " skinned out." What a disappoint- 
ment, and after such days of toil and hardship ! But 
it is no use bemoaning our luck, so we are soon on 
their tracks, following them up the canon as fast as 
we can. They had, however, made good their escape, 
and we saw them no more that day. 



Bennett's bear story. 269 

As a, sort of consolation, on our Avay back in tlie 
evening we came on a fine cow elk, wliich I killed for 
camp meat, and very fine steaks she furnislied. 

Besides being a good hunter, Bennett was unusually 
good company ; most of his life had been spent as a 
trapper, and he was full of anecdotes of his experi- 
ences. One story I cannot help repeating, as, from the 
reputation of the man who told it me, and his whole 
manner, unlike many bear stories, I believe it to be 
true. It was as follows : — Bennett and two part- 
ners were " after furs," that is, on a trapping 
expedition. Having got " quite a number," one of 
them had gone down to dispose of some at the nearest 
post and to bring back necessary stores. A night 
or so after his departure a bear came and took away 
three tame beavers, besides a quantity of meat. This 
so enraged the hunters that they determined to 
set a trap for the marauder. Accordingly half an 
antelope's carcase was pinned to the ground, 
around it a line was stretched and fastened to the 
trigger of a rifle, loaded and pointed at the savoury 
bait. The trap was skilfully conceived and care- 
fully set. Very soon after the hunters had retired 
to their " bunks " they were aroused by the discharge 
of the rifle, and on going out found a grizzly bear's 
cub lying dead. Pulling the body inside the 
small tent, they reset the traj) and turned in again. 
In a very short time they were made aware of a most 
unwelcome visitor, in the shape of the old she-bear 
herself. She had come to look for her cub, and 
having scented it, had followed it into the tent. The 
poor beast fondled the dead offspring and licked it 
and whined over it, sometimes in her movements 
actually treading on the hunters' feet and legs. The 



2 70 ]Va}idcrinos ill Ihc JVcs/crii Land. 



'.^ 



wretched men scarcely dared to breathe, knowing 
perfectly well that that moment she discovered them 
would most likely be their last. At last she left, 
when, fearing that she would return they lost no 
time in leaving the tent and getting up the nearest 
tree. She did return and remained " quite a while," 
but, although now safe, our friends were by no 
means to be envied, for the night was bitterly cold, 
and they were "up a tree" in the lightest of cos- 
tumes. Eventually she again retired, when Jack at 
once declared " that he could stand it no longer, no, 
not for all the bears in Wyoming," so down he came 
and lighted a fire, and fortunately the bear did not 
again appear. 

As might be supposed, after having once sighted 
sheep, I was not likely to leave the locality without 
another try for them, but again without success. Once 
indeed we found them high up the canon, but they 
had seen us and were scuttling up through the rocks 
like rabbits. I fired and my men fired too, but the 
enfilade resulted in neither killed nor wounded. This 
second time the three-year-old ram was with them, 
but the old fellow had taken himself off, no doubt 
thinking himself like many an old red deer stag, 
safer in perfect solitude than with the rest of the 
herd. 

In this cailon we came across the den of a moun- 
tain lion, a large hole between great Ijoulders of 
granite. The smell from it was most offensive, and 
quantities of bones of animals and birds scattered 
around the entrance testified to the destructive power 
of the formidable o wner. The men who were with me 
pronounced him " at home," but as Ave had no means 
of bolting him, nothing could be done. Unfortu- 



" Boltino '' uiouiilaiii lions — Sand and sunar. 271 



<> 



nately, we never tliouglit of smoking liiin out, wliieli 
I believe would have been practicable, and wliicli 
operation — so Griff told me — was on one occasion 
successfully carried out in Estes Park. The " boys," 
however, were so scared at the sudden appearance of 
the lion amongst them, that they all fired wildly and 
the brute escaped imscathed. Bolting mountain 
lions, after the manner of ferreting rabbits, would 
at any rate have been a novelty in the sporting- 
line, and I wished much that we had thought of 
the smoking expedient. 

Evans was now so far recovered that we were able 
to make a move, and glad enough we were to do 
so. Our camp here had been anything but a good 
one; the locality abounded in sand, which in the 
windy weather which prevailed, was a source of 
real discomfort. Nothing could keep it out ; 
it penetrated food, clothes, and bedding. When 
mixed with one's victuals it was especially dis- 
agreeable and distasteful. A slight misfortune, 
too, had happened to our store of sugar ; the can 
of " coal-oil " (paraffine) for the lamp had leaked, 
and some of its contents had found their way 
into the bag. This oil certainly possesses a 
wonderful power of penetration, for although only 
a few drops apparently had escaped, yet the whole 
contents of the bag were tainted and uneatable as 
sugar. Hank contrived, however, to make a very 
passable syrup of it by simmering it in a frying-pan 
for a long time over a dull fire. 

Our line of march from here lay at first north-east, 
along the right bank of the Platte, which we then 
crossed and headed due north across a sandy, alkaline 
prairie. Although very little grass appeared on the 



272 Waiide7^ings in the IVestern Land. 

surfacej great quantities of cattle were thriving on it. 
It is said, however, that owing to the alkaline deposit 
on these plains they lose their teeth prematurely. 
Here and there were enormous bushes of sage {cirte- 
7nisia trident ata), usually only a few inches high, but 
in this locality luxuriating by the side of the streams 
in the most wonderful way, and attaining the size of 
large shrul)S. In one spot they were over my head 
on pony-back, and I had some difficulty in forcing my 
way through them. A decoction of this shrub, which 
goes by the name of " sage tea," is in much repute 
amongst the hunters and others for the treatment of 
all sorts of illnesses, especially what is locally called 
" mountain fever," which seems to be of the typhoid 
type and occasionally ends fatally. My men had a 
story of two men suffering from it at one of the 
frontier towns ; one of the cases was scientifically 
treated by the army doctor, the other with sage tea 
by the local tailor. The sage-tea patient got well, 
but the other succumbed to the disease. The most 
common growth on these true alkaline plains is what 
is locally called '' grease wood," a spare, small, and 
at this time of year (December) leafless shrub, from 
which, when burning, a sort of oil or grease exudes, 
hence the local name. It is too quick burning for 
a good camp fire when used alone, but when mixed 
with sage-bush does very well. 

The margins of the little lakes, of which there are 
many in this locality, are covered with a thick coat 
of an alkaline salt. I did not keep any for analysis, 
but judging from the taste the chlorides of sodium 
and calcium appeared to be the cliief ingredients of 
its composition. 

We were still in the land of antelope, though less 



An itiilucky stalk — Left behind. 273 

numerous than further south, and on one occasion I 
nearly spent a night out through hunting them. As 
was my custom when on the march, I was riding 
within sight of the waggons, but so far ahead as to 
get a sight of game before it was disturbed. A herd 
of antelope had attracted my attention, and I had 
ridden off alone for a stalk. The men had seen 
me, and I had got my shot so soon that I was 
afraid almost of firing, so direct were the waggons 
in the line of fire. Having killed, I waited by the 
dead antelope, expecting one of the men would come 
back to " dress "it, and " pack " it to the waggons. 
When, however, after waiting some time no one 
appeared, I gralloched it myself, and cutting off the two 
haunches — called here " hams " — and the head, and 
packing them as well as I could on my saddle, set 
off in pursuit of the waggons. But nowhere could 
I strike the trail ; the soil was light and sandy, and 
a strong breeze was blowing, so that it was, to 
my comparatively obtuse sense of sight, quite oblite- 
rated. What was to be done now ? If I rode 
after the teams, it would be at a great risk of 
never seeing them again, at any rate for that day, 
for Edd Herridge himself, our chief pilot, had been 
in doubt when starting of the exact course to be 
steered, and he meant to make it out as he went 
along. I must confess to feeling very uncomfortable ; 
but I was mounted, and had meat, and could make 
a fire, so, had I only had my blankets with me, I should 
have had nothing to fear, unless one of those awful 
winter storms had broken upon me. 

After carefully considering my position, I came to 
the conclusion that the first thing I had better do 
was to mount a hill which I saw not very far off, 

T 



2/4 Wanderings in the Western Land. 

and take a survey with my glass ; perhaps from that 
elevated spot I might see something of the teams. 
This I did at once but not a vestio:e was to be seen 
of my outfit. I spied all the country most carefully, 
and hoped for some time that the teams might be 
in some hollow, and would come suddenly into 
sight ; but no ! they had evidently " made good 
time " after I had left them, and got clear away 
over some distant sky-line. 

It was now late in the afternoon, so I had to make 
up my mind quickly what to do. The weather was 
fearfully cold, and even with plenty of food and a 
good fire, a night without blankets was a thing to be 
avoided. 

On speering around I was able to make out with 
the glass, in the far distance, a sort of habitation 
which had the appearance of an Indian lodge, or 
" tepee." We had passed within sight of it in the 
morning and I had heard some of the men discussing 
what it was. I had gathered that they believed it 
to be some sort of white man's ranche. I now could 
see it plainly with the aid of my stalking-glass, and 
could moreover make out figures moving about, and 
smoke rising up near it, so that at any rate it 
was inhabited. On consideration I thought that 
I had better ride back to this place, where most 
likely, I should get shelter and perhaps assistance 
in refinding my outfit, the loss of which in itself was 
an awkward matter in this boundless country. 
Taking the exact bearings with my compass, I de- 
scended the hill and rode straight away for the 
edifice. I was rather uneasy about the reception I 
should get on my arrival at these strange quarters, 
but I had uniformly experienced nothing but hearty 



" Wkiies 0)' Redskins "^ — The doubt solved. 275 

welcomes from the " cow-punchers " of the west. 
If then they were whites I was not apprehensive ; 
but what if my men were wrong and they were 
Kedskins ! AYe had heard there were two camps 
of the Arrapahoes out on the war-path a Httle further 
on ; tliey were nominally after their old enemies the 
Utes, but the " young bucks " — as the young 
warriors are called — are said to be not over particular 
"whose hair they lift" when they are out on the 
war-path. But, I argued to myself, these frontier 
men are not often mistaken, especially in the matter 
of Indians ; besides, I will take the precaution not to 
go straight into camp until I have reconnoitred. At 
any rate shelter at night at this time of year, in case 
of a storm, is most needful, so I determined to 
push on. 

I made such good speed, that I had bright day- 
light for approaching the curious-looking erection, 
but when I was hundreds of yards off I was able 
easily to determine the nationality of the occupants, 
by that peculiar western vernacular which issued 
from many lusty throats at once. It was evident 
that there was here a large gathering of ranche- 
men, and it seemed that they were employed on 
some cattle matter, but what that was I could not 
for some time make out. On getting nearer I at 
last discovered that the process called "brand- 
ing " was being carried out on a considerable 
scale. No one noticed my approach, so intent were 
they all on their work. At length I got one of 
them to attend to my queries, and from him I 
ascertained that there were amongst the company 
two old acquaintances whom I had met further 
up the country. They were delighted to see me, 

T 2 



2 76 W^andcrin^s in the Western Land. 



: / (J * f Lt.ii.iiL I i fi-i" 



and gave me a hurried but very liearty welcome. I 
was at once asked to partake of the shelter of their 
small tent, but as there were already three in it, and 
no spare blankets, I must*' bunk with Jack Rogers," 
i. e., sleep under the same blankets with that worthy 
individual. Well, shelter was everything, and Jack 
was a very good fellow, so this was soon settled. They 
were fortunately short of meat, so my haunches of 
antelope came in very acceptably, and were much 
approved of. 

Perhaps I should not weary my readers were I to 
say a few words on that process in stock-raising on 
which the whole party was here engaged, namel}^ 
branding cattle. 

Besides the original branding of the calves, when 
stock changes hands in these parts it is necessary 
that the old brand should be crossed through, and 
that of the new owner placed alongside. When a 
herd is sold, the plains are scoured far and near for 
the cattle with the required mark. These are all 
gathered and confined in a "corrall" or pen orfank, 
formed of timber, which is called " corralling." At 
one corner of the corrall is a passage formed of 
strong and high posts and rails, so narrow that only 
one beast can get through it at a time. At the end 
of this passage, opening on to the prairie, are some 
strong slip rails. The stockmen force the cattle 
in the corrall into this narrow passage. Outside the 
corrall is a blazing wood fire, in which the branding- 
irons are heated almost to a white heat. These are 
pressed on to the flanks or quarters or shoulders of 
the cattle as they get jammed singly into the narrow 
passage. A couple of men stand at the slip rails, 
and let them out as they are operated upon. They 



Branding cattle — Fertility of Wyoinijig. 277 

can thus be branded and taken stock of at the 
same time. The burning portion of the process 
sounds cruel, but it was quickly over, and I 
saw no sign of after-suffering on the part of the 
liberated animals. 

Several occupants of neighbouring ranches had 
come together here, besides those directly interested 
in the transaction, their object being to see that none 
of their own cattle got transferred in error, and to 
lend a helping hand. The bellowing of the half- 
wild cattle and the shoutino;' of the easier stockmen 
can be better imagined than described. The latter 
became greatly excited when one of the cattle broke 
out of XkiQ. corrall before it was branded, which occa- 
sionally happened. As there were ten or twelve 
ranchemen, and over 800 cattle taking part in the 
branding, it is not to be wondered at if the proceed- 
ings were a trifle noisy, but I saw no loss of temper. 

During supper a lively conversation took 
place on various matters, connected with cattle and 
agriculture. One question causing great discussion 
was as to when a calf became a head of cattle ? The 
decision arrived at was that every beast born after 
the preceding month of March was still a calf, and 
therefore not paid for as a unit of cattle. 

Tiien arose a mighty debate as to the agriculture 
future of the territory of Wyoming. The Colorado 
men did not believe in it as a grain-bearing district, 
but the Wyoming boys stuck up gallantly for 
their native territory. One of them brought for- 
ward a very telling argument in support of the 
fertility and capabihties of its soil. " It could 
grow strawberries," he said, " for he had been in 
the summer time prospecting for a tie camp 



2/8 IVanderings in the Western Land. 

(i. e. looking out for a locality where railway 
sleepers could be cut), wlien lie struck some 
elegant strawberries." Having ate until he was 
"crowded," he wished to take some back to camp, 
but had nothing to carry them in. At last he be- 
thought himself of his socks, filling both of which, 
he returned satisfied to camp ! " Were they good, 
Frank?" I asked. "You bet, sirree, a way up," 
was the heartfelt reply. 

Amongst the ranchemen assembled here was one of 
those marked examples of what steadiness and ap- 
plication will do in this new world in the person 
of an Irish Canadian, Tim Foley by name. He 
had come into this country ten years ago ; since 
which he had led the varied life of a rancheman, 
settled on the extreme frontier of civilization. Many 
a skirmish had he had with the Indians of Arizona ; 
on three occasions he had been wounded. He was 
said to be a very good " Indian fighter," and 
a capital shot. Although reported not to have had 
a dollar in his pocket when he first came into the 
States, he is now valued at $400,000 (80,000/.). 
A remarkable trait about him was that he never 
swore, a proof that swearing is not a necessity, 
even for a " cow-puncher." Besides these rougher 
qualities he bore such a reputation for straight 
dealing as any one might have envied, and was 
universally respected by all who knew him. What 
a pity it is for this young country that there are not 
more such characters, but I fear Tim Foley was in 
many respects a great exception to the common 
rule. 

The following morning I tried in vain to get some 
one who knew the country to help me in finding my 



The sweet-water — Independence Rock. 279 

outfit, but every hand was engaged with the all- 
important branding. All they could do was to give 
me the fullest directions in their power how to 
reach the " Sweet-water," on which they thought my 
party would certainly have camped. 

Having ascertained my route as well as I could I 
started away alone, and within fifteen miles struck 
that small river, along the banks of which passes the 
old emigrant road to Utah and the other western 
countries. After following this road a mile or so, 
I was delighted to see in the distance a figure riding 
towards me, which I soon recognized to be little 
Griff Evans. Although in truth enchanted to be 
with him again, I could not help giving him a bit of 
m}^ mind for his neglect in not waiting for me the 
day before. His excuse was that they thought I 
had not killed, and would be sure to get their tracks 
and follow on directly. When I did not make my 
appearance they began to be uneasy, thinking that 
I should be out all night and have a hard time 
of it, and that morning early a general search had 
been organized. Hank had gone out in one direc- 
tion, Edd and Lee in another — with the hope, too, 
of getting some camp meat — and little Griff had 
taken the back tracks of yesterday. 

They had made camp near the celebrated Inde- 
pendence Rock, close to which was a large cattle 
ranche. We soon reached it, passing on the side of 
the deeply-worn emigrant road the graves of three 
soldiers formerly of the 11th Ohio Cavalry, who, as 
stated on the little grave-boards, were killed near 
here by Indians in 1863. This route being one of 
the best known to California, has been the scene 
of man}^ a skirmish, especially about the time 



2 8o IVanderinzs in the Western Land. 



^b 



of the first discovery of gold in that state. The 
Indians most hostile to the whites were the 
Sioux and the Arrapahoes. The former have 
now betaken themselves fm'ther to the north, but 
the main 'body of the Arrapahoes are at present 
located on the Platte River, near Fort Casper, about 
twenty-five miles from this. They are, I am told, 
an off-shoot of the Sioux, and generally act in 
concert with them in all their wars. Just now they 
are supposed to be friendly to the whites, and are in 
the winter quarters assigned to them by the United 
States Government ; but the settlers do not seem to 
have much faith in their professions, and are of 
opinion that when the spring comes, and they can 
afford to be independent of Government for their 
supplies, their good behaviour will be abruptly ter- 
minated. 

In the range of ruddy peaks to the eastward is 
encamped a large party of Ute Indians on a hunting 
expedition ; the smoke of their fires being at times 
visible from our own encampment. This tribe has 
been of late years friendly to the whites, but a deadly 
feud exists between it and the Arrapahoes and Sioux. 
The two latter are tribes of the plain, and the Utes 
belong- to the mountains. The Redskins fig^ht to 
advantage on the kind of ground they are accustomed 
to, and in their skirmishes victory follows accord- 
ingly ; if the fighting occurs in the plain, the Sioux 
win, if in the mountains, they are " whipped." The 
report that there are now two small bands of Arrapa- 
hoe bucks on the war-path encamped near here, is con- 
firmed by one of the " boys " from the ranche, who bad 
seen their camps. Their alleged object is to pick up 
some of the Utes from the mountains above, but this 



Independence Rock — " The Devi Ts Gateway y 28 1 

news is not agreeable either for ourselves or the 
ranchemen. For us it is unpleasant, for these 
Indians cannot be trusted, and if they were to come 
across one or two of us away from the rest, the 
temptation might be too great, and beside this, there 
is the risk of having our horses run off. This latter 
danger is shared by the ranchemen, and in conse- 
quence they are obliged to go round their stock 
once or twice every day. 

The so-called Independence Rock itself is a 
curious round-topped granite rock, nearly a mile 
in circumference at the base, and a couple of hundred 
feet high. Being so directly on the main emigrant 
road, it has always been a well-known halting-place, 
and the base of the rock is literally covered with 
names and dates. 

A few miles further up the river is the " Devil's 
Gateway," where the Sweet- water makes its way 
through a range of granite mountains. Fine walls 
of rock rise on each side of the river to the height 
of between 300 and 400 feet, affording some bluff 
and desolate scenery. 



CHAPTER XIII. 

" j\Iightiest of all the beasts of chase, 
That roam in woody Caledon, 
Crashing the forest in his race, 
The Mountain Bull conies thundering on. 

" Fierce on the hunter's quiver'd band, 
He rolls his eyes of swarthy glow, 
Spurns with black hoof and horn the sand. 
And tosses high his raane of snow." 

Sir W. Scoff. 

After Buffalo — An Indian trail — "After hair"— A scare — A 
family party — Bad advice— " Horse Creek" camp— The 
Eattlesnake Eange — " Buffaloes" — A good stalk — " Right 
and left "—True Bronchos — Spoiled meat — More Buffalo — An 
exciting day — The Buffalo — Ferocity — Modes of hunting — 
Scarcity — Its causes — Wanton slaughter and sinful waste — 
Probable extinction — Legislation. 

I WAS very anxious, before finally giving up the hunt, 
to obtain a few good specimens of the far-famed 
American buffalo, or, more correctly-speaking, 
" bison." I was told that I had a better chance 
of finding them within a few days' journey of 
this than in any other locality I was likely to visit. 
Accordingly sheep-hunting was put aside for the 
time, and a start was made for the buffalo country. 
We had to get over a good bit of ground before 
we could hope for anything but antelope, and 
heavy work it was with our " played-out " 



An Indian trail — " Buffalos or Indians ponies T 28 



o 



teams. We were not made the more comfortable 
by coming across tlie tracks of Indians on the war- 
path, moving in the same direction as ourselves, 
and not more than a fortnight old. There was 
the trail plain enough ; the single line of ponies 
with round-cut hoofs, and, as Edd Herridge pointed 
out, no sign of lodge-poles, clearly showing that 
they had no squaws with them and were " after 
hair." Edd was so well up in Indian lore that he 
was able to say from the trail that they were 
Arrapahoes : it is probable too that he was un- 
usually learned in such matters, from having himself 
married an Arrapahoe beauty. After this un- 
pleasant discovery it was necessary to be somewhat 
cautious in our movements. 

As it happened, that very afternoon we had a 
" scare." Griff Evans was walking some little 
distance ahead of the teams, stretching his little 
legs after a spell of driving, when all of a sudden 
he was seen running for us as fast as he could 
toddle, gesticulating frantically. We halted at 
once, and were naturally all anxiety to know what 
he had seen, " Either buffalo, or Indians' ponies," 
he did not know which, and only about a quarter 
of a mile further on, in a little gulch to our left 
front ! 

Here was excitement indeed, whether it turned 
out to be Indians or buffalo. The waggons were 
drawn up close together. Hank and Griff left behind 
with them, whilst Edd, Lee, and myself cantered 
on to solve the burning question. Edd, who thought 
very little of Griff, said we should find a lot of old 
tree stumps ; Lee believed that it would turn out 
to be Indians, whilst I went in for buffalo. When 



284 Wanderings in the Western Laud. 

we had got to within 100 yards of the edge of the 
hill overlooking the little basin, we dismounted, 
made our horses fast, and advanced cautiously to 
the ridge, with our rifles at the ready. Then lying 
down, we crawled on and peeped through the 
undergrowth into the little corrie below. A very 
pretty sight awaited us, and the scare was over, 
for within 300 yards of where we lay a very nice 
little family party was quietly enjoying itself, consist- 
ing of an old and young bull and three cow buffalo 
of different ages. I am not ashamed to confess 
that my heart jumped at this my first sight of a 
beast of which I had heard so much all mj^ life, but 
had never dreamed of seeing. But there was no time 
for sentiment. It was already very late and dark, 
and not a minute was to be lost. 

On carefully surveying the ground we found there 
was no cover of any sort to hide us after we got 
within 200 yards of the still unsuspicious beasts. 
Thereupon Griff Evans was called up and a 
council was held. Griff and I were for taking 
the long shot that evening, late and dark 
as it was, but Edd Herridge, the only one of us 
four who had ever seen buffalo before, was so 
energetic against it that we were overruled. 
Edd argued, that it was so dark now that there 
would be no " show " at all that evening, but that 
the buffalo were sure to be in the neighbourhood 
in the morning, when we should be able to stalk 
them at leisure. Eventually we gave in, but most 
reluctantly, to Edd's judgment. We knew the 
chances of hunting, and experience had taught us 
that a "bird in the hand was worth two in the 
bush;" but Edd was a very old hunter too, and knew 



A lost chance — Horse Creek. 285 

buffalo, so taking his advice we turned back with 
heavy hearts to the waggons. 

Camp was formed about a quarter of a mile off, 
behind a few little ridges, to lessen as far as 
possible the chances of the buffalo being disturbed 
by our proximity during the night. All however, 
to no purpose ; for when the next day came the 
closest hunt for miles around gave no trace of 
buffalo. 

This little lot must have been a solitary party, which 
had strayed awayacrosstherangefrom the main herds. 
Our fire, and the unavoidable noises of camp, or, 
perhaps, some of our stock wandering, had scared 
them during the night, and they had probably 
made away across the range for their accustomed 
haunts. Often afterwards did I think of that little 
family, and wish I had stuck to my own opinion. 
I should most likely have wounded the old bull and 
got him with the aid of the dogs, dark as it was. 
Regrets in the morning were of no use, so after a 
fruitless search we " pulled out " and moved camp 
further towards the range, beyond which we had 
every reason to hope we should find more buffalo. 

The following evening we made camp on the 
banks of a little rushing open stream, called " Horse 
Creek." Why it was not frozen 1 do not know, 
unless it was a warm spring, as my men said they 
believed it to be. Here was some grazing for the 
stock, which were beginning to get very poor, 
notwithstanding that they had had oats all the 
time. The question of food for them was now 
of so much importance that we determined not 
to attempt to take the waggons over the range 
of mountains which we were approaching, but 



286 Wanderings in the Wcstom Land. 

to "pack over" on some of the most suitable 
of our bronchos, and leave the remainder with a 
couple of men to recruit until our return. Before 
doing so, however, Edd and I made a reconnoitring 
expedition. We got over the divide late one 
evening, and on looking down on to the plain 
below saw right under us, only about a mile away, 
three splendid bull buffalo. Edd was again for 
delay ; would pack over here to-morrow and be sui-e 
to find them again ; the buffalo were so placed that 
no one could possibly " creep " them ; it was too 
late for us to make camp afterwards, &c. &c. But 
all these excuses were of no avail with me this time. 
One lost chance was sufiicient — I had learnt my 
lesson; so I stuck to immediate action, and down 
we rode towards them. 

The buffalo is a wonderfully keen-scented beast, 
but he does not see or hear as well as the deer tribe. 
Being able on this occasion to keep both out of sight 
and to windward, we had no difficulty in riding to 
within a quarter of a mile of them. Here we dis- 
mounted, and doubly secured our horses with the 
lariats and hobbles, taking care to remove the 
saddles, and bridles. In the vicinity of buffalo 
horses cannot be too carefully seen to, for it is a 
well-known fact that nothing scares a horse so much 
as the sight or smell of a buffalo. A regular stam- 
pede will set in which nothing can stop, and should 
they once get away, " it may be for ever " in this 
wild country. 

After leaving the horses we got into a sort of 
frozen " creek," which, by occasional long bits of 
very flat crawling, kept us well out of sight. 
With some little difficulty we at last reached a 



A succcssfid stalk — Pursuit of the luonndcd. 287 

turn in the burn where the banks were tolerably 
high ; and from here we were able to get on our 
feet, but had still to keep low, until we got under 
the very bank upon which the bulls were feeding. 
Edd had marked his ground well, for when I looked 
very cannily through the growth on the top of the 
bank, there were the three huge beasts within thirty 
yards of me. Cautiously pushing the muzzle of the 
rifle through the grass, I aimed carefully behind the 
shoulder of the nearest bull and very low, in ac- 
cordance with previous instructions. It seemed as 
if it would be impossible to miss the huge lump — 
it was like shooting at a small haystack ; but, 
like a haystack, there was no bull's-eye on it, 
no particular spot at which to take aim. Just as 
I fired they seemed to see or hear something, and 
were off; but I knew the great beast must have 
got the ball somewhere, so I turned my attention with 
the second barrel to one of the others, which were 
running straight away from me. I fired and saw him 
get the ball in the back just behind the shoulder, 
and he fell away at once from his companion. 

Tellinof Herridg-e that I would follow this one if 
he would attend to the first, which was crawling on 
badly wounded, off I ran with my old dog "Ned." 
On crossing a small ridge, I sighted my friend about 
300 yards off, making very bad time over the broken 
ground. I at once put "Ned" round him, and away 
the colley went as cheerily as if he was going to 
herd a domestic cow. Directly the buffalo saw him 
he turned about and made a magnificent charge, 
with a momentum sufficient to knock a house down. 
"Ned" saw him coming, waited very quietly until 
he was quite close, then jumped a few feet on one 



2 88 Wanderings in the Western Land. 

side, and directly the buffalo liad passed commenced 
yelping again at his heels. The bull did not turn 
again, but continued his retreat at a jog trot. On 
observing this, I called in "Ned" and followed on. 
When the bull caught sight of me he pulled up, 
but being very young at the work, T foolishly 
went on towards him, just as I should have done in 
the case of a deer, I wished to make sure work, 
so did not fire until I had got within thirty 
yards, when I dropped on my knee and let go both 
barrels. Most fortunately the second ball broke 
one of his forelegs bringing him partly down, and 
he then gradually rolled over on to his side. I 
cannot make out why he did not charge me 
before I fired. It was a most dangerous proceed- 
ing on my part, the result of absolute inexperi- 
ence, and Herridge was quite scared when he came 
and saw from what a short distance I had fired the 
cowp de grace. Edd had had no difiiculty in coming 
up with the first bull, but had been obliged to fire 
several shots before he finished him. They were 
both magnificent old bulls, and most perfect speci- 
mens of their kind. I measured one of them with 
the following results : — height at shoulder, six feet 
exactly ; girth of neck, eight feet ; girth behind 
shoulder, ten feet. The weight was estimated as 
twenty hundredweight when " dressed," and a busi- 
ness it was to dress him, Edd almost disappearing 
into the cavity in the process. 

When we had got them nearly ready, I volun- 
teered to go down and bring up the bronchos. I 
found them all right, and got them saddled and 
bridled, and was leading them up quietly, one by 
the bridle, the other by the lariat, when, without the 



A sting ing fall — The fjigitk 'cs secured. 289 

smallest apparent reason, a scare seized them and 
the one I held on the lariat tore past me like a 
locomotive. The sudden and violent tightening of 
the lariat threw me instantly on to my hands and 
face ; upon which the second brute, of course, fol- 
lowed suit, and there I lay flat on my face, being 
dragged along the hard frozen ground as fast as 
they could gallop. Fortunately I was not entangled 
in the rope, and was soon able to shake myself 
loose. My feelings when I picked myself up re- 
sembled what I remember in my boyhood, after 
a fall when running on a hard gravel path ; the 
palms of my hands stung and tingled fiercely, and 
all the wind was knocked clean out of my body, leav- 
ing a most uncomfortable vacuum. On getting on 
to my feet again, I felt inclined to let go at the fast- 
disappearing forms of our ill-conditioned bronchos, 
but was able luckily to hold my hand. Well, here 
was a pretty mess ! Nearly dark, many miles away 
from camp, with the horses gone, perhaps to be seen 
no more ! There was no use, however, in lamenting 
or raving, so on I walked for the ridge, over which 
the brutes had disa})peared, and had the satisfac- 
tion of seeing them picking at some tufts of buffalo- 
grass about half a mile further on. A cautious 
stalk brought me within reach of the dragging 
lariat of the one, and after a short struggle he was 
secured. Then with the assistance of the first, I 
was able to get hold of the second ; so, fortunately, 
there was no harm done, beyond the loss of 
Herridge's heavy Calif ornian stirrups, which had 
gone adrift in the stampede, and the shaking I had 
come in for myself. 

The following day we took some of the ponies to 

u 



290 Wanderings in the Western Land. 

fetch back as mucli meat as we wanted for camp use, 
but to our disappointment all was tainted and un- 
eatable. The fact is that the hides of the bulls are 
so thick that, unless taken off at once, the meat 
immediately heats and spoils. All we could do, 
therefore, was to skin both beasts, cut off the heads, 
and return with, these to camp. We poisoned the 
carcases for coyotes, and got a couple by tlie pro- 
ceeding. The heads and hides were very heavy, 
and as much as two bronchos could carry. 

In consequence of this beef spoiling, we were 
now, for the first time, short of camp meat, and 
reduced to a sort of hash, enjoying a very rough 
epithet amongst the western hunters, and com- 
posed of odds and ends of past meats, with bacon, 
and flour, and pepper, &c., which was by no means 
palatable, and very greasy. But this unsatisfactory 
state of the commissariat did not last long, for the 
next day we were after buffalo again, and I killed a 
fat three-year-old bull, which afforded excellent food 
for the remainder of our hunt. At the same stalk 
I killed a second bull, from which we had only time 
to secure the hump and tongue. 

We had a good deal of difficulty in finding the 
buffalo on this last occasion, but when found they 
were in vast numbers. From one spot I was able to 
count, with the aid of my glass, no less than eleven 
separate herds ! The size of the herds varied from 
hundreds to units. As far as I could make out they 
were all bulls, for this district, being nine or ten 
thousand feet above the sea, is too cold for the cows, 
which keep further down in the plains. 

Although at first rather dispiriting and very 
fatiguing, this last day's biiffalo hunt was not with- 



A buffalo rush — Their ferocity. 291 

out its excitements. In the first stalk I had 
just shot the fattest young bull we could see, when 
all of a sudden there was a scream of " Look out," 
from Lee, who was behind, and a terrible rushing 
noise broke on us. There was no time to move 
before a herd of buffalo, with their heads down, 
tore past within ten yards of us, in blind terror ! 
Nothing could have saved us had we been in their 
way ; but, fortunately, we were just out of it. AYe 
supposed that they must have heard the shots, and 
not knowing where the danger was, had become 
mad with excitement and fear, and had rushed 
into the very teeth of it. Hank, who was an 
old and experienced buffalo hunter, gave me 
to-day a practical illustration of the ferocity of a 
Avounded buffalo. One of those I shot was, by the 
first ball, only incapacitated from getting out of a 
small hollow into which he had run. On seeing us 
close by him, he became perfectly frantic, and persis- 
tently endeavoured to get up the bank at us. Hank 
threw him his hat, which he knelt on, and gored, 
and rammed into the earth with his massive head 
in a perfect frenzy. I never saw such a deter- 
mined exhibition of ferocious intentions, and felt 
thoroughly convinced of the small chance any one 
on foot would have of escaping, when charged in 
open ground. I do not, however, for a moment 
believe that a wounded buffalo will "go for" a man 
when he thinks he can get away. He always looks to 
flight as his best mode of preservation from his 
great enemy, and it is only when he feels he cannot 
escape by aid of his legs that he will charge. I 
should have had no difficulty in killing almost any 
quantity in this locality, and glad enough would my 

u 2 



292 Wander i Jigs in the Western Land. 

men have been to take part in tlie proceeding ; but 
all tlie excellent meat would have been lost, as we 
should have been unable to pack it, and I could not 
be a party to such a shameful waste. 

Poor Bison Americanus ! I fear you are destined 
soon to be reckoned amongst the good things of the 
past. But before saying a few words on this 
interesting question, I will touch very briefly on the 
beast itself, and the modes of hunting it. 




A BULL BUFFALO (Bison Americanus). 

From a Shefch hi/ J. Biei-fhuif. 

As is now generally known, the American buffalo 
is, properly speaking, no buffalo at all, but a bison, 
one of the great distinctions being that the latter is 
invariably covered with a woolly hair. The 
American variety seems to correspond with the 
European aurocli (bison, or honassus EuropcGUs), 



Modes of hunt I no- tJic buffalo. 293 

but is somewhat smaller. This question is fully 
entered upon in an exhaustive article on the bison 
in the United States Government Report, by 
Mr. Allen, who was attached to Dr. Hayden's 
surveying party of 1875. 

There are two ways of hunting buffalo, viz. 
" creeping," /.e. stalking, on foot, and riding them 
down on horseback. Of the first only have I had 
any personal experience. 

Hunting buffalo on foot very much resembles any 
other kind of stalking. Attention must be paid to 
the seeing, hearing, and smelling powers of the 
animal, especially to the last, which I believe to 
be as acute as those of a deer. When they are 
numerous, and the ground broken, I can quite 
understand tliat one would soon get tired of this 
sport. I doubt very much, however, whether I 
should not get sooner sick of the second mode, 
which is riding into the herds, and shooting them 
down with a rifle or heavy six-shooter. There may 
be an art in singling out the most desirable beasts, 
and Colonel Dodge, in his interesting book, " Hunt- 
ing Grounds of the Great West," says that there is, 
but from what I have been told by men who have 
tried it, one " run " has generally been sufficient for 
them. The riding down must, at any rate, lead to 
a greater waste of life. It is said that for one bagged 
masses are wounded, which afterwards die, and are 
never found by the hunter. 

As to the comparative danger of tlie two modes, 
there is, with, ordinary care, but little in either. In 
riding buffalo no harm is likely to happen, unless 
the ground is very bad, and your horse comes down. 
If tlie horse is an old stager he will take very good 



294 IVanderings in the Western Land. 

care of liimself, both against the roughness of the 
ground and the charges of the buffalo. In stalking 
them it is only needful to keep out of sight of the 
wounded buffalo, or at such a distance as to make a 
charge improbable. Want of care in this respect 
has often led to deplorable accidents. At the time 
one of my men was hunting on the Republican River, 
a young hunter was killed in the following way. 
With a friend he had fired at an old bull, and 
wounded him. Finding the range too great to 
finish him "right away," he had attemjoted to get 
nearer without being seen, but the bull " picked him 
up " and " came for him." On perceiving this his 
nerve seems to have failed him, for, dropping his 
rifle, he tried to escape by running. Of course he 
was speedily overtaken and gored to death before 
his companion's eyes, who could not get to him in 
time to help him. 

So much for the two ordinary modes of killing 
buffalo ; but such has been the miserable and 
wanton destruction of this fine beast during the 
last fifteen years, and the apparent apathy of the 
Government in checking it, that but a short time must 
elapse before it will be difficult to obtain a buffalo 
by any method. It is only a marvel, when one 
reads of the thousands, aye, millions, which have 
been slaughtered, how any even now survive. But 
it is very evident that they are getting terribly 
reduced in numbers, and are now found only in a 
comparatively small portion of the country. The 
Government Report says : — " Instead of roamiag 
over nearly half of the continent, as formerly, they 
are restricted to two small, widely- separated areas." 

It is easy to discover the reason of the great 



Increasing scarcity of the buffalo^ the causes. 295 

diminution of numbers. In old times the buffalo's 
two enemies were the Red Indians and the grey 
wolf ; and it would appear as if the natural increase 
had been suflQcient to meet these two causes of waste. 
When, however, the white man came on the scene, 
armed with repeating rifles and six-shooters, and 
possessed with a wanton spirit of destruction, this 
was no longer the case, and the almost countless 
herds soon became both smaller and less numerous. 

To show to what an extent the wasteful and sinful 
slaughter was carried on by the whites, we read in 
the Government Report before referred to (p. 554), 
that " the number of hides shipped from Dodge City 
alone in three months, from September 23rd, 1872, 
was 43,029, and 1,436,290 pounds weight of meat, 
and iliai only the saddles loere saved " — the remainder 
of the animals being left to rot on the prairie. That 
"at least 50,000 buffalo were killed here in these 
three months ; but the return for January exceeded 
those of the preceding months hj over one hundred 
and fifty ^^ercent;^^ thus making the number of 
buffaloes killed, "merely around Fort Dodge and the 
neighbourhood, for this period of four months, 
exceed one hundred thousand! This does not take 
into account those killed in wanton cruelty — mis- 
called sport — and for food" for the frontier residents." 
A little further on another report of about the same 
date is quoted from, which, states that " thousands 
upon thousands of buffalo hides are being brought 

here (Wichita, Kansas) It is estimated that 

there are south of the Arkansas, and west of Wichita, 
from one thousand to two thousand men shooting 
buffalo /or their hides alone ! " 

Another account states that " during the season 



296 Wanderings in the Western Land. 

1872-73 not less than two hundred thousand buffaloes 
were killed in Kansas, merely f 07- their hides!'' All 
this means that an untold quantity of the finest 
beef was lost for purposes of food, and was actually 
allowed to putrefy where the poor beasts fell. 

Again " it is stated " that, " in 1874, on the south 
fork of the Republican, upon one spot were to be 
counted six thousand five hundred carcases of 
buffaloes, from ivhich the hides only had been stripped, 
the meat was not touched, but left to rot on the 
plains ! At a short distance hundreds more of car- 
cases were discovered, and, in fact, the whole plains 
were dotted with the putrefying remains of buffaloes. 
... It was estimated that there were at least two 
thousand hunters encamped along the plains hunting 
the buffalo. One party of sixteen stated that they 
had killed twenty-eight hundred during the past 
summer, the hides only being utilized!''' 

I will not go on with such sickening data ; suffice 
it to say, that any amount of such evidence can be 
found, not only in the Government reports, but in 
other public as well as private documents. Is it 
possible to conceive a more wicked waste of the 
bountiful gifts of a Good Providence ? Be it re- 
membered, too, that in all probability the great mass 
of these poor slaughtered beasts were old or young 
cows, which are easier killed than the bulls. 

At any rate — it may be thought — a good price for 
the hides could alone have promoted and permitted 
such a state of things. But pursuingthe Government 
pages a little farther we find that the hide market 
" became glutted to such a degree that, whereas a 
few years before they were worth three dollars (126-.) 
apiece at the railroad station, sldns of bulls now 



Sinful destruction of the l)uffaIo. 297 

hring only a dollar (4.s'.), and those of coirs and 
calves sixty and forty cents (about 2s. 6d. and Is. 8d.) 
respectively I " 

When you add to this wanton and nnremune- 
rative slaughter the masses which are killed for 
food by the whites, and by the Indians in other 
parts of the States, and, further, the very large 
quantity killed for no purpose whatsoever, but 
solely for the sake of the amusement of killing, is it 
any wonder that the poor buffalo is rapidly becoming 
so scarce that there should be a general opinion he 
will soon be altogether a beast of the past ? Is it 
not rather a wonder that he has survived to this 
day ? 

One of my own " outfit " had been an old buffalo 
hunter on the Republican, and quite confirmed the 
foregoing accounts of the deplorable waste. He 
told me he had seen acres of putrefying carcases ! 
His story was that the waste arose in consequence 
of the inhabitants of the cities refusing to give the 
hunters a fair price for the meat ; that as long as 
they got five cents (2^^/.) per lb. it was all " hauled," 
but that when they could not get more than three 
cents (^hl.) it was not worth the hunters' while to 
haul it to the towns and stations, and all was left to 
rot! In the winter of 1872-73, he himself and a 
partner, with two or three " skinners " to assist, 
killed over 2,500 buffalo, for the hides of which they 
got an average price of $2^ (10s.) for the bulls, and 
$1^ {6s.) for the cows. At first they got 10c. (say 
bd.) each for the tongues, but such was the glut on 
the market that afterwards they were literally 
worthless. 

I will conclude these few remarks on the buffalo 



298 U'^andei'i7igs in the Western Land. 

question by quoting a paragraph from the Govern- 
ment Report (page 556), bearing, as it does, on 
future legishition. It runs thus : — " These facts " 
(/. e. evidences of the extraordinary decrease in 
numbers of the buffalo, and of the very diminished 
area of their wanderings) " are suflBcient to show 
that the present decrease of the buffalo is ex- 
tremely rapid, and indicate most clearly that the 
period of his extinction will soon be reached, 
unless some strong arm is interposed in his behalf. 
As yet no adequate game laws for the protection of 
the buffalo, either by the different States and terri- 
tories included within the range, or by the general 
Government, have been enacted. In a country so 
sparsely populated as is that ranged over by the 
buffalo, it might be difficult to enforce a proper law.; 
yet the parties who prosecute the business of buffalo- 
hunting professionally are so well known that it 
would not be difficult to intercept them, and bring 
them to justice if found unlawfully destroying the 
buffalo. It is evident that restrictions should be 
made not only in respect to season, but the young 
and the bearing females should be protected at all 
seasons. The Government might even set apart 
certain districts within which the buffalo should be 
constantly exempt from persecution." So writes 
Mr. Allen, a gentleman who has given the question 
great attention and is well able to form an opinion 
as to the character of the law to be framed and the 
possibility of carrying it out in these far-off regions. 
The difficulty appears to be not only the execution of 
a law, but the possibility of framing a measure 
which could so efficiently protect the comparatively 
small remnants as to give hopes of preventing their 



Legislation practicable. 299 

total extinction. It is now very late in the day, 
and the region to be supervised is very large, but 
the general obedience to the law is remarkable in 
these wild districts, and I was often astonished at 
the quiet way in which these western men accept 
the decisions of Congress, and submit to the 
authority of the executive. It seemed as if they 
generally thought active opposition quite hopeless 
in the long-run, and so content them.selves with 
outspoken grumblings. I have little doubt, there- 
fore, that the local authorities could enforce a new 
law. Perhaps the necessary protection might be 
provided by the issue of licences to professional 
killers at the outfitting towns, on the granting of 
which a heavy deposit might be required as a 
security for the observance of the law. The sug- 
gestion, too, of setting apart certain districts as 
"sanctuaries," within which the buffalo should never 
be molested, is one well worthy of consideration ; 
but it is to be hoped that these would be better 
respected than the Indian reservations have often 
been. But, as I said before, the great difficulty 
seems the details of the Act. How are the cows to 
be dealt with ? are none to be killed, or only a 
certain proportion ? How is the slaughter for the 
hides alone, and the consequent waste of such 
masses of good meat, to be detected ? How is the 
Indian hunting to be regulated ? or the wanton 
shooting into the brown, so constantly indulged in 
by the whites, to be put a stop to ? 

Many indeed must be the difficulties of legislation, 
but all, I trust, are to be overcome when taken in 
hand by men acquainted with the evil and its 
practical bearings. And be the difficulties ever so 



300 IVanderhtos in the ]Vestc7'n Land. 

great, the question is one well worthy of the con- 
sideration of even that busy assembly, the Congress 
of the American nation, involving as it does the 
destruction of thousands, aye, millions, of tons of 
food for the people. 

Sincerely do I trust too that the opinions of many 
well able to judge may prove incorrect, namely, 
that it is now too late for legislation ; for even so 
good an authority as Colonel Dodge says (p. 139), 
" The buffalo are virtually exterminated. No legis- 
lation, however stringent or active, could now do 
anything either for or against the trade in the 
buffalo product." At any rate it is the duty of the 
Government to make a determined effort to prevent 
the total cessation of what has hitherto been an 
important addition to the meat supply of both the 
red and white citizens of the west. 



-7^e^^rr -i), -a- -l^^t«at 




OUR CAMI' IN THE SWKI'.T-WATKR COINTUV. 

From a SA-etch iy J. P. I' 



CHAPTER XIV. 

"Lost! lost! lost!" 

Sir W. Scott. 

Back for the Sweet-water — A bad camp — An Alkali lake— Loss of 
stock — Planted — A broncho hanged — A "Cache" — After 
sheep — A disagreeable Adventure — "Lost" — A hard time — 
A welcome outline — Back once more — Foot-note. 



After we had had our buffalo hunt, and I had 
secured two splendid specimen heads, we commenced 
a retrograde movement on the " Sweet- water " 
country, in which I hoped for some black-tail deer 



302 Wanderings in the Western Land. 

and perhaps even sbeep. The first camp we made 
was misplaced in one very important respect, and 
that was that the water of the beautiful-looking- 
lake which had attracted us thither, was so im- 
pregnated with alum, I believe, as to be more like a 
dose of Epsom salts than anything else. Of course 
it was useless to man or beast, and we had to melt 
snow for all our wants. The water thus obtained 
possessed a most unpleasant taste of sage, and this 
important want settled us to move camp forthwith 
to the banks of the frozen river, which was within 
sight and only a few miles to the southward. Our 
intentions, however, were doomed to be frustrated ; 
for the following morning (December 18th) all our 
horses disappeared in the most sudden and un- 
accountable manner. Herridge and I had seen 
them about nine o'clock before starting for hunt- 
ing, and at ten o'clock when Hank went to fetch 
them in for moving camp, they were nowhere to 
be seen. At first we thought they had strayed, 
although they had hitherto been remarkably well- 
behaved in this respect, but we thought that perhaps 
the want of good water had sent them off in search 
of that necessary commodity. When some days, 
however, had elapsed and nothing had been seen or 
heard of them, although most of the "outfit" 
had been engaged in tracking and scouring the 
country, we began to suspect the Arrapahoe bucks, 
who were still encamped in the neighbourhood. 
From the circumstances which afterwards came to 
light it is extremely probable that this was the right 
solution, and that these worthies had " run them 
off." 

We had possessed altogether eleven of the horse 



Loss of stock — Involuntary detention. 



o^o 



kind, nine of them " bronchos," six of wliich were 
the property of the Estes Park Company, for which 
I was personally responsible ; two belonged to Lee 
and Hank, and one to Herridge. All these had had 
very hard work, and were comparatively of little 
value. The other two quadrupeds were the property 
of Edd Herridge, and were large American horses, 
great prizes in the eyes of an Indian. The nine 
played-out bronchos were ultimately recovered, 
having probably been released when found to be of 
little worth, but poor Edd's horses were never seen 
by us again ; most likely they had been taken to Fort 
Casper, where the main body of the Arrapahoe tribe 
were encamped, at the same time that the bronchos 
were set free. 

Here we were then, literally " planted," for we 
had no means of dragging the two waggons con- 
taining our little all. It certainly was a lovely spot 
to be "planted in," but anything like involuntary 
detention is uncongenial, in fact it is disturbing to 
the minds of most men, especially of those keen on 
a move. 1 had intended to be in California ere this 
— the middle of December — for my time was getting 
short. But there was no help for it, so stand by I 
must, at any rate for the present. 

Fortunately our camp was at no great distance 
from Independence Rock, near which there was a 
stock ranche occupied by a man called Macdonald, 
who, as might be supposed, was of Scotch extrac- 
tion. This man good-naturedly hired out to us a 
couple of his own bronchos, the best of which I kept 
for my own hunting, whilst the other was employed 
in looking for the stock. The first few days after 
our loss I did pretty well, hunting chiefly alone, 



304 U\inden'ngs in the Western Land. 

but sometimes with one of tlie men when not required 
in the search. On one of these occasions, I had the 
misfortune to get my broncho hanged, the poor 
beast having got " scared " by something, after I 
had dismounted and left her fastened to a tree by 
the lariat. She had fallen down on the rope, and 
choked herself, although the knot had been made 
so as to be incapable of slipping. I was very sorry 
for the poor animal, and for myself, too, for that 
matter, in having to pay up $85 (£17), and to trudge 
back after hunting to camp, about eight miles in 
the dark. 

Another day, when out with Lee, we discovered a 
Avell-made cache within a couple of miles of our 
camp. For the information of the uninitiated in 
hunters' parlance, a cacke is a hole or cavity where 
something has been hidden. The superincumbent 
ground, in this case, had all the appearance of not 
having been disturbed since it was made, and what 
added to the interest of its further investigation was 
the discovery in close proximity of a white man's 
skull and other human remains, as well as a horse's 
skeleton. Various were the surmises as to the pro- 
bable history of these thought-stirring relics. The 
most likely seemed to be that in the old days, when 
the overland road was well traversed by emigrants, 
a robber had lived in this sheltered hollow, that 
he used the cache for secreting his ill-gotten 
gains, had come back wounded from one of his 
raids, had died where we now found his remains, 
and that his poor horse had been left to starve 
where picketed. Supposing this to be the true 
solution, we thought it well worth while to take some 
trouble in opening up the caclic, which, from its 



A cache— Sport — After sheep. 305 

careful and solid coustruction of slabs of stone, and 
great depth, took us some time to accomplish. In- 
deed, so hard and tiresome was the work that we 
gave it up before the cavity was fully opened out. 
Our labours were entirely thrown away, we found 
nothing, and I had to console myself for trouble 
and loss of time by thinking that it was something 
to have seen a well-made cache. 

It was now getting on towards the latter end of 
December. The weather was bitterly cold, and 
there were threateuings and prognostications of a 
coming storm. I had killed in the vicinity a couple 
of good black-tailed bucks, one of which was judged 
at 200 lbs. (over 14 st.) "clean." There were signs 
of sheep about, for which I still had a very keen 
longing, and this keenness nearly cost me my life in 
the following way. 

One day when out with Griff Evans, we had come 
across sheep tracks so very fresh that we thought 
we must "jump" or sight them every moment. 
All day long we hunted and spied, but without 
getting a glimpse of our game. It so happened that 
I had made an arrangement for the next day with 
the rancheman Macdonald to convey me and some of 
my goods in a light waggon to a place called Sand 
Creek, whence I could get on to Rawlings, on the 
Union Pacific Railroad. As it was not more than 
twenty miles to Sand Creek, and the track over the 
plain pretty fair, it was thought that the journey 
could be made in daylight by starting as late as one 
o'clock in the afternoon. The sight of the fresh 
sheep tracks had fired my hopes, and, as the range 
on which they were, lay somewhat in the direction 
of Sand Creek, I settled with Macdonald to wait for 

X 



3o6 WandeHngs in the Western Land. 

me at three o'clock at a certain spot a little distance 
on the way ; my object being by this plan to hunt 
the range again the next forenoon and have another 
chance of my longed-for sheep. 

At a very early hour next morning Griff Evans 
and I left camp, anxious to make our last day's 
hunt as long as possible. We worked the rocky 
ground of yesterday, but again unsuccessfully ; the 
sheep, we thought, must have moved, and having 
got across the ridge by about three o'clock, we 
gave up hunting and turned towards the place 
where it had been arranged that Macdonald should 
meet me. On coming in sight of the spot, there was 
the waggon with Macdonald and Edd Herridge 
moving slowly onwards, being then about a couple 
of miles away. In order to make it clear that I 
was on my way to join them, Griff suggested that I 
should fire a shot, which apparently had the desired 
effect, for the waggon instantly stopped. As Griff 
Evans was not going with me, but was to stay 
behind with Lee and Hank to search for the missing 
stock, and as my direction now was straight away 
from our old camp, neither he nor I thought it of 
any use for him to come out of his way any further, 
so I sent him and my old dog " Ned " back to camp, 
and I then started off alone as direct as I could for 
the waggon. 

In descending the steep hill-side after parting with 
GrifF the formation of the ground soon hid the wag- 
gon, but as I had got my marks, I felt no uneasiness 
on this score. The two miles or so were quickly 
covered, but when I got to the spot where the waggon 
had been, nothing was to be seen of it or the men. 
I soon, however, got the track ; and as the ground 



A stern chase — Increasing difficnltics. 307 

was inidulating, I tliouglit tliey must be waiting for 
me in one of the hollows near. At any rate, I 
argued, let the worst come to the worst, it is not 
more than fifteen miles or so to Sand Creek ; I 
am still fresh — although I had been walking all day 
and had only had a " biscuit" (Angl., a roll) since 
a very early breakfast — and I think I shall be able 
to "make" the distance in the three and a half 
hours still remaining of daylight. 

Now that I think all over it again, I know I was 
wrong; I ought not to have attempted to follow on. 
On not finding the waggon, I ought to have made 
back at once for the old camp, and not have ven- 
tured on tracking a waggon fifteen miles over a 
country quite new to me, and with only a limited 
amount of daylight still left. Moreover it was mid- 
winter in a most severe climate, and there was 
impending one of those fearful storms which, if it 
had broken on me that night, must have proved 
fatal. But I was very anxious to get on ; all my 
arrangements had been made for leaving, and I 
hoped to be in more civilized parts on my way to 
California by Christmas-day, which was now very 
near. 

On I pushed therefore, making, I thought, five 
miles an hour. The ground was hard and elastic, 
the air fine and bracing, and the track of the 
waggon easy enough to follow. I felt pretty com- 
fortable as long as the light lasted, but when it 
began to wane — at about half-past six o'clock — my 
troubles commenced in earnest. About then, too, 
the character of the surface of the country seemed 
to undergo a change, the herbage became more and 
more sparse, and there were large patches of light 

X 2 



3o8 Wanderings iu the Western Land. 

loose sand, wliich under the influence of a smart 
breeze had partially filled up the wheel tracks, 
making them very difficult to follow. Then came 
the quickly-fleeting twilight of those regions, and 
with what regrets I saw the dear old sun go down 
that evening perhaps few have experienced. The 
difficulty of keeping the track increased every 
minute, until at last I spent most of the time on my 
hands and knees, groping for the very shallow ruts. 
A quarter of an hour or so more, and this failed 
me, and I found myself off the track and lost ! 

It soon got pitch dark, so dark that I could not 
recover a white handkerchief which I had laid down 
close to me as a mark, around which I might grope 
on hands and knees for the lost wheel-ruts. 

What was now to be done ? On cool considera- 
tion I thought I had come so fast for the first few 
hours that I must have " made " the fifteen miles, so 
ought to be very near Sand Creek, and acting on 
this I fired three shots in rapid succession, which 
ought, if heard, to lead to investigation. As it turned 
out afterwards I was actually only a quarter of a 
mile from some of the cabins, in fact so close that 
Herridge and Macdonald, when they heard the shots, 
thought they were from some of the " boys " in the 
cabins. 

When I had fired the shots, I sat down, waiting 
anxiously for a response, but none came. What my 
feelings were then no one who has not been lost 
can imagine. Fearful stories of freezing to death 
and of the accompanying agonies came across me ; 
amongst others, of a poor young trapper, who, 
meeting with an accident whilst hunting last year 
in this vicinity, was no longer able to endure his suf- 



''Lost'' — Possible contingencies. 309 

ferings from freezing and took tlie strychnine, wliicli 
he had in his pocket for the wolves. Then I thonght 
that possibly, and even probably, starvation awaited 
rae. Truly, at first, I had as much as T could do 
to keep my head ; I felt inclined to give it up and 
lie down ; if I did this I knew my fate was sealed, 
and that probably I should never awake again. I 
realized fully that my life depended on keeping my 
head, and I prayed for help to do so, and it was 
granted to me throughout that fearful night. 

It was now a little past seven o'clock ; I knew the 
moon would rise about half-past nine, and that pos- 
sibly I might be able to recover the track in the 
bright moonlight, if I could only stay here till then. 
But a cutting wind was driving down from the 
snow-covered mountains and I soon began to freeze ! 
I had no extra clothes, only those which I had 
walked in all day, and there was no possibility of 
building a fire, for there was no fuel, not even a sage 
bush as big as a cabbage, anywhere within reach. 
I attempted walking about, but I soon felt that in 
the darkness I was getting further away from where 
the track lay. If I remained here, freezing stared 
me in the face. What then could I do ? The only 
other course open to me was to try and make my 
old camp on the " Sweet-water," which I thought 
would be about twenty miles from here. I had come, 
I imagined, a south-westerly course since leaving 
Evans, I therefore argued that north-east should 
bring me back again. At any rate I ought by this 
course to strike the somewhat isolated range of hills 
on which we had hunted, or perhaps I might strike 
the Sweet-water river and if I did, it would be easy 
enough then to find camp. The stars were scarcely 



3IO Wanderings in the Western Land. 

visible through the cold haze which hung over the 
earth, but I was able at last to make out the North 
Star, to shape my course by. 

It was evident very soon after starting again 
that I was not on the Hue of country 1 had just 
come over, the nature of the surface was so entirely 
different. Sometimes I was amongst boulders and 
rocks, sometimes almost on the edge of a precipice, 
whilst at other times I was ploughing through deep 
sand. It was a difficult matter to keep my course, 
as I had so often to make detours to avoid sudden 
and deep drops, but I kept on pretty straight, and 
what between fast walking and at times almost 
running I travelled at a good pace. 

A little before ten the moon rose, and I saw to my 
right a faint outline of mountains. I hoped, and 
thought at first, that they were the range I sought 
for. Away to the left I saw some abrupt cliffs which 
looked like the Devil's Gateway on the Sweet-water ; 
if so, I ought soon to strike the stream, and I walked 
on with redoubled vigour. But no, I was wrong ; 
the river was not to be found where it should have 
been had my conjecture been right, and I wandered 
on down-hearted and dispirited. 

At last I was all but " played out," c^nd for other 
reasons too felt that I must have rest and a fire. 
Fuel was now a necessity, and I therefore made for 
the mountains, on the side of which there would most 
likely be some trees or shrubs. Mercifully, I soon 
came across a dead pitch-pine tree, and having 
matches in my pocket, and having luckily learnt 
the art of building a fire, I soon had a blazing 
one. I sat down before it and rested, my first real 
rest since early morning. 



''Lost'" — Uneasy rests. 3 1 1 

It was now past midnight ; all was strange and 
weird around me ; the very trees and rocks took 
uncanny forms ; the only noises which broke the 
silence of the night were the wild howlings of the 
prairie wolves and the sighing of the wind through 
the pine trees. I could not rest long here, I began 
to be uneasy about the Arrapahoe Indians, who, I 
knew, were encamped not far below our old camp on 
the Sweet- water, and I did not know how near I 
might be getting to them. If they saw my fire, it 
might lead to an investigation on their part, and an 
easily-obtained white man's scalp, with rifle and 
ammunition, would probably be too great a tempta- 
tion for the "young bucks," out, perhaps, on their 
first war-path ; so at one o'clock I was off again, 
heading the same course as before. 

The tops of the mountains were now enveloped 
in mist ; not a single landmark could I recognize. 
Once, when coming over a low ridge, I fancied I 
saw a herd of antelope close to me; rather 
thoughtlessly I fired into them, hoping for meat ; 
but, alas, it was only a few shrubs waving in the 
wind. 

By three o'clock my strength was again failing 
me ; I had had nothing to eat, except the one biscuit, 
since the early breakfast of the previous day, and 
I had been walking hard almost ever since. I was 
forced again to rest, and Indians or no Indians, I 
^nust have a fire. To add to my uneasiness, I felt 
too I might be going further and further away from 
all my known haunts and landmarks. 

This time I got into a cleft in a rock, and built a 
fire in front of me, which had the double effect of 
preventing the fire from being seen except from the 



'• T '> Wanderings in the Western Land. 

direct front, and of protection from tlie wind and 
from a rear or flank attack shonld the Indians by 
chance come on me. Here I sat with my rifle across 
my knees — not daring to let myself fall asleep — nntil 
the first streak of early dawn appeared in the east, 
a little before seven o'clock. How rejoiced I was 
to see it, an end at last to that miserable night, if 
not to my difficulties. With the daylight I hoped 
to be able to make out some known landmark, 
and with this object I toiled up the steep hill-side 
immediately behind the spot where I had been rest- 
ing. Broad sunlight soon reigned ; hut not an out- 
line, not a feature, in the lohole landscape, could I 
recognize ! Broken-down, disheartened, exhausted 
physically and mentally, I again almost gave up ; 
but I had mercifully got through the awful night, and 
I felt I must hold on. I had still a few matches 
left, and my rifle and nine cartridges, so I might get 
on for some days longer unless assailed by a storm 
or Indians ; besides, I would have another look from 
a mountain about a mile off, which I saw was much 
higher than the last, and would therefore command 
a better view. For this I made, and again forced 
my weary limbs to the top. This time, after a long 
survey, I thought I recognized the jagged ridge 
of a range of granite mountains which was visible 
from our camp on the Sweet-water, and amongst 
which the Utes were encamped. If this was so, 
I must be down on the divide between the Platte 
and the Sweet-water, and close to the junction of 
these two rivers. Near this spot I had understood 
the Arrapahoe camps to be, but I was relieved at 
not seeing anything of them. How glad I was 
to believe I knew an outline can scarcely be ima- 



" Lost " — A known outline — The last ptLll. 31 



o"^ o 



gined. I was only afraid lest I should be again 
wrong ; but no, I felt the more certain the longer I 
looked at the distant range. But in this case what 
a distance I must have walked in the night; for I 
had started a long way to the south and west of 
Independence Rock, and would be now many miles 
to the eastward of it. 

Pulling myself together, I started at once in the 
t supposed direction of the rock, and at last reached 
it about eleven o'clock. I need not be ashamed to 
confess that I was completely exhausted. I had 
eaten hardly anything since early the previous 
morning, and had walked since parting with Evans 
over sixty miles^ — at least so said one of Macdonald's 
ranchemen, who the next day happened to pass over 
a portion of my track — and this, too, after a long 
day's hunting. The distance from the hill, from 
which I had taken my last survey, to the rock was 
fourteen miles in an " air line." 

^ This night will be ever remembered by me. The 
' feeling of heing lost was a strain on my nerves such 
as I had never before experienced, and trust I may 
never again be subjected to, and I can quite under- 
stand that a man might lose his senses under such 
circumstances. Colonel Dodge narrates the follow- 
ing incident : — " When serving in Texas, a soldier of 
my company became lost while returning to the post 
from a small village two miles off. A party was 
sent out in search for him, and on the second or 
third day came upon him almost naked in a little 
thicket. As soon as he discovered the party, he 
bounded off like a deer, and was pursued. After an 
exciting chase he climbed a tree, from which he was 
taken by force, and with the greatest difficulty — 



314 Wanderi7Lgs in the Western Land. 

struggling, striking, and biting like a wild animal. 
He was brought back to the post perfectly wild and 
crazy, confined, and watched, and attended with the 
greatest care for over a month, before he recovered 
his mind. He was an excellent man, more than 
usually intelligent ; but I doubt if he ever fully 
recovered the shock. He recollected nothing^ but 
going a little distance off the road for something, 
and getting ' turned round,' and realizing that he 
was lost." So sudden a loss of reason may seem 
improbable to those upon whom the fearful sensation 
of being lost in a trackless and inclement wilder- 
ness has never been forced ; I have no difficulty in 
believing it. 

It turned out in my case that I should not 
have been looked for for some days, inasmuch as 
each party thought I was with the other. It 
appeared that Edd Herridge and Macdonald, on 
coming to the rendezvous, had found the fresh track 
of a pony, and had taken it into their not over- 
wise heads that I had ridden on, and that they had 
not heard the shots I fired before Griff Evans left 
me. Not finding me at Sand Creek, they thought I 
had gone back with Griff to the old camp after hunt- 
ing. They would not, therefore, have looked for me 
without further information. Griff and the rest of 
the outfit naturally thought I had joined Macdonald, 
and was at Sand Creek, so they would not have 
thought of my being lost until informed of that fact 
by the others. 

Not a little astonished were they when I walked 
into the ranche that morning, and still more so when 
I told them of my adventures. "All's well that ends 
well," but I mean to take every human precaution 



" A IPs well that ends well^ 3 1 5 

on any future occasion not to run the risk of a 
repetition of that awful night. ^ 

" I lay the following episode in this night's wanderings before my 
readers, simply as a curious natural phenomenon, to be accounted 
for, I daresay, by the learned, but perfectly inexplicable to myself. 

I was passing over the prairie land between the mountains in a 
moderately clear moonlight about ten or eleven o'clock p.m., when 
I suddenly saw a bright light flash up on my right hand, at first 
apparently some distance off, in the direction of a line of moun- 
tains. I thought it was some of my men who had come out in 
search of me, and had, as is often done, lighted a fire to let me 
know their whereabouts. I stopped, therefore, and faced the light, 
so that I might watch it more closely. To my great astonishment, 
it appeared to me now to be approaching rapidly. What it could 
be I could not imagine. Face it I must, whether Indians or 
anything else ; so, cocking my rifle, I awaited its arrival. When 
apparently about forty or fifty yards off it stopped. It seemed to 
be about the height of a torch carried in a man's hand, and j^artook 
of that character of light, but I could connect it with no figure of 
any sort or kind. I felt that I must, if possible, find out what it 
was, so I walked towards it with my rifle ready. It then retired, 
keeping the same distance from me. I then put my rifle up to my 
shoulder, but without producing any effect on the movement of the 
light. 

Thinking that it must be some delusion, and that, at any rate, I 
could do nothing, I resumed my former course. The light came 
on too, moving parallel with me, keeping all the time the same 
distance from my right side. Mile after mile I travelled on, over 
all sorts of ground and elevations, sometimes faster, sometimes 
slower ; but whatever my movements, whenever I turned my head 
to the right there was the mysterious light, always in precisely 
the same relative position. At last I resolved to make a fire and 
I altered my course accordingly towards the mountain side ; still 
the light accompanied me, and it was not until a bright fire blazed 
ibrth that I lost my uncanny companion, Avhich did not reappear 
in my after wanderings. 

I give the foregoing incident just as it occurred and for wliat it 
is worth. I may mention that when the light first appeared to me 
I had been walking for about sixteen hours, during five of which I 
had been under the mental strain which inevitably accompanies 
a situation such as I have described, and during that period I had 



3i6 IVaiideriugs in the Western Lmid. 

only eaten one small roll. At the same time, Avatching myself 
narrowly, I was unconscious of any unusual excitement, or of being 
in a frame of mind inconsistent with forming a sound judgment on 
any natural phenomenon which might present itself. On the con- 
trary, I had been able to keep my head quite clear in the many 
matters, such as the course to be steered, obtaining fuel, and 
lighting the fires, &c., which, although small in themselves, 
required consideration and execution. 



CHAPTER XV. 

" Westward the course of Empire takes its way." 

Bishop Berkeley's Epitaph to Bancroft's Ilistory of 
the United States. 

Sheep once uiore— New companions — George Ferries — A good 
Eanche — Hopes of sport — A stalker's get-up — An exciting 
day — The heart-shaped tracks — A race for slieep — Beaten — 
Creeping the ledges — A hair-trigger — My last chance gone 
— Independence Eock again — A lucky lift — Sand Creek — 
The Ferries Mines — To Eawlings — Cheery companions — 
Brown's Canon — A "one-horse" town — Topography of the 
Western Country — Train life — The Continental Divide — 
Green Eiver — Evanston — Lignite : its geological position — 
Utah — Echo and Weber Cafinns — Ogden — Shoshone Indians 
— Humboldt County — Battle Mountain — Summit of the Sierra 
— Beautiful scenery — The American Eiver — The Western 
Slope — Sacramento — San Francisco — Beautiful position — The 
Palace Hotel — The Seal Eocks — Unique sight — The streets — 
The Hoodlum or Celestial— The Chinese Question — Climate 
— Drainage — The rainfall — California as a Mining State — 
Bullion production — Agriculture — Fertility — Exportation — 
Wool — Wine — Fish — Deer — Small game —Future. 

With the last chapter finishes the actual hunting 
portion of my trip ; but suffering still from sheep on 
the brain, I could not resist wasting a couple more 
days later on, in fruitless pursuit of the coveted 
animals. 

The last of these, although unproductive, was 
so full of enjoyable excitement that I cannot 



3 1 8 Wandcriiigs in the Western Land. 

help fighting it over again. It so happened that 
none of my old " outfit " were with me. All except 
Herridge — who had returned to his Indian wife at 
La Porte, on the Cache la Poudre — were still search- 
ing for the lost stock in the Sweet- water country. My 
own companions Avere two in number — one a hunter 
of much reputation in military circles ; the other 
a well-to-do rancheman, by name George Ferries, 
who had formerly been a successful trapper, and 
wdio still loved dearly the wild mountain life. He 
now owned a ranche and a herd of cattle, the former 
far above the average both in size and comfort, and 
in it we had slept the night previous to the last 
day's chasse. Besides being one of the best hunters 
I had met on this side of the Atlantic, George was a 
first-class stockman, and, moreover, bore a high 
reputation for straightforwardness and honest 
dealing. 

The scene of our hunt was a canon, through 
which flowed our old friend the North Platte. I had 
great hopes of success from this hunt — not only on 
account of the reputation of my companions, but 
from the promising reports I had had of sheep in 
this neighbourhood. The prospects of fine weather 
on the previous evening had been rather doubtful, 
for although it was bright and still, there were signs 
of one of those fearful winter storms. Fortunately 
it held off" a few days longer, and the morning of our 
hunt was all that could be desired. George Ferries 
looked all over like business — the brown suit of 
" Californian goods " and small felt hat he wore, by 
no means assimilating badly with the colour of the 
rocks and ground among which we had to seek our 
game. But I cannot say so much for the get-up of 



A stalker s ''get up " — A hopeful Diorning. 319 

our other comrade, who, m his present costume, 
would have done well for a stage brigand, and 
would have spent the rest of his days in the best 
deer forest in Scotland without the remotest chance 
of a kilL On his head he wore a gigantic thin felt 
somhrero, or wide-awake, which flapped with every 
breath of wind, like the wings of some colossal bird ; 
his jacket and pants were of dark brown corduroy 
or fustian, and round his ample waist he wore a 
broad crimson sash ; long " rubber " boots com- 
pleted his attire. How he was ever to get near the 
quick-eyed sheep was a puzzle to me ; but I was 
told that he was a most successful hunter, and that 
I was very fortunate to secure his services. I could 
only, therefore, imagine that he either did not 
always clothe himself like this, or that he must be a 
remarkable good hand at never showing himself to 
game. But he was a good-natured, cheery fellow, 
and I had great confidence that his workmanlike com- 
panion would so manage matters after we had got 
into the game region that our friend should do no 
harm to our hunt. 

The early morning found us all three galloping 
away on very fair steeds for the high ground leading 
up to the canon. In about an hour we had reached 
the likely ground, and our eyes were " kept skinned," 
searching the snow for the heart-shaped tracks. 
Presently George had " struck" them leading down 
a sharp slope into a gulch below. Leaving our 
horses, we followed them a few hundred yards, 
when we came suddenly on some black-tailed deer. 
They stood for a few moments gazing wonderingly 
at us, affording a most tempting chance, but no 
shot was fired, sheep alone being the object of the 



20 Wandering's in the Westeini Land. 



"ii 



day. When tlie deer liad thorouglily made us oat, 
tliey jumped away with that peculiar bounding action 
in an opposite direction from the tracks we were 
following, so without injuring our prospects of sport. 
On peering over a ridge a little further on, our eyes 
were gladdened by the sight of a band of some 
twenty sheep — of which two were good " bucks " — 
about 500 yards off in the gulch below. Although 
they were not actually moving when we first saw 
them, yet they were " suspicious " and uneasy. May- 
be they had had a glimpse of our friend's flapping 
sombrero, or got a touch of our wind ; at any rate, 
in a very short time they had made up their minds, 
and were on the " lope." George evidently knew 
their haunts well, and the rocks they were likely 
to make for; for, hurrying us back to the horses 
as quick as he could, we commenced a quick move- 
ment along the high ground parallel to the course of 
the galloping sheep below. It was now a regular 
race for several miles between ourselves and the 
sheep, our object being to cut them off from the 
highest part of the range. Gallop we did most cer- 
tainly, and over some roughish ground ; but even- 
tually they beat us, and we were just in time to see 
the last of them tearing up on to the precipices 
about half-a-mile ahead of us. 

Even then our chance was not gone. George knew 
the locality well, and commenced at once stalking 
on foot the likely rocky ledges. One of these he 
thought offered a very good chance, and we ap- 
proached the ridge above it with rifles all ready for 
a shot. Nothing could be seen at first, and we had 

almost turned away, when G saw a owe or two 

under a flat rock ; drawing back, wo were getting 



A liair triggei' — My last chance. 321 

round quite close to them, when bang went a rifle 
behind me. Our friend of the sombrero had set his 
rifle on the hair trigger, and it had gone off" by 
accident in his excitement ! Bkeii fngaces ! to 
rusli to the edge and snap at the bounding animals 
as they almost fell down the face of tlie sheer rocks 
was the work of a moment, but with no results, as 
might have been expected. 

George's indignation was great, and my feelings 

certainly none of the gentlest. G suggested 

that if it was his, "he would fling the said rifle down 
the precipice after the sheep," and our somhrevo 
friend looked downcast and sheepish enough, only 
remarking that " it had never happened to him 
before, but that his hands were so cold" — a good 
time for a hair trigger, forsooth ! However, it was 
no use lamenting over our luck ; besides which, the 
bucks were not with the ewes, and might still be- 
behind ; so we searched for them as carefully and long 
as circumstances would allow, but it was now getting 
late in the day, and commencing to storm, and we 
were compelled at last to give it up disheartened and 
thoroughly beaten. Thus ended my last day after 
sheep, as unlucky as all other days after these much- 
coveted animals. Sorely was I tempted to remain 
on, and hunt until I got one ; but my days in 
America were numbered, and I was forced to bo off" 
for more civilized parts. 

But alltbis is digression, and I must now return to 
the ranche at Independence Rock the day after I 
was lost. I was able most fortunately to get a lift 
over to Sand Creek on a very rough waggon, driven 
by a loquacious Irishman, which happened to be 
going that way for some chance stock purposes. On 

Y 



32 2 Wanderings in the Western Land. 

arrival tliere I found that Macdonald and Herrids'e 

o 

were still here, and had taken up their abode at a 
stamp-mill, erected some years since for dealing 
with the auriferous quartz from the mines situated 
in the Ferries Range, north west of this. These 
ores have not proved of sufficient richness to com- 
pensate for the difficulties attendant on the situa- 
tion; amongst which are the distance to the railroad, 
and the cost and scarcity of labour. 

We slept in the log hut attached to the mill, 
rough enough in every way, but too glad was I to 
feel a roof over my head again, and to be in the 
company of my fellow-creatures. 

The following day we travelled on towards Raw- 
lings, or Rawlings Springs as it is sometimes called, 
on the Union Pacific Railroad. Our conveyance was 
a light cart, drawn by two small horses, the property 
of Macdonald, who did driver. Besides Herridge, 
we had as a passenger, a rather amusing character 
in the person of an old "stage driver," who had 
followed his vocation for many years in Utah and 
other Western parts, but had now abandoned it for 
the less-stirring work of cattle herding. He was 
possessed of a very fair voice, and whiled away the 
weary time with songs, which though not of the 
most select description, were decidedly quaint and 
strange to civihzed ears. Macdonald had also a 
musical turn, but, alas ! possessed not the smallest 
idea of tune. He droned away hour after hour 
at the same wretched ditt}^, the refrain of which 
was — 

" \\ii roll'cl away (|nite merrily, but I often look'd Leliiiid ; 
For the rocks anti woods of Dixie were passing tlirongli my mind." 

I concluded this was meant to have some reference 



Browii s Cahoii — Rawlinzs 



'<i>" 



to a melody called " Dixie's Land," but tliouglit it 
wiser not to inquire, for fear of further infliction. 
On lie droned — oh, how sick I was of it ! — and on 
we jolted over the most execrable road, or rather 
track, in a bare, alkaline country, until a caiion was 
reached, called Brown's Canon, perhaps named after 
the same Mr. Brown as the famous "Brown's Hole," 
on Bear Eiver, which bears the reputation of being 
the home of many a desperado and outlaw. A 
good-sized stream flowed through this in summer 
time ; but now it was hard frozen and silent. The 
rocks of this locality appear to be a sort of quartz 
schist, the geological section exhibiting a series of 
ledges or terraces of soft and hard rock. From this 
point the road improved, and we were soon able 
to make our entry into the quiet railway town 
of Rawlings, where I was speedily housed in the 
decent railroad hotel, very fairly clean and com- 
fortable. 

Everything in this little settlement has to do, 
directly or indirectly, with the Union Pacific Rail- 
road. It is the centre of one of their systems, and 
consequently the residence of a number of officials 
and labourers, with the requisite stores or shops. 
Usually it is by no means a lively abode, and was 
well described to me beforehand as a "one-horse 
town ;" but being now Christmas time, the place is 
quite lively. The second night I was there a ball 
took place at my little inn, at which the neighbouring 
ranchemen and trappers attended. Although much 
was strange to my eastern eyes, there was no up- 
roarious drunkenness or brawling, and the next morn- 
ing all appeared as cold and quiet as usual. But I had 
no time to lose, if I wanted to see anything of Cali- 

Y 2 



324 Wanderings in the lVester7i Land. 

fornia and Nevada before my return to England ; 
so, after "expressing" my heavy luggage and frozen 
buffalo heads, &c., eastwards, I got " on board" the 
through express train for California. 

How comfortable, and even luxurious, the Pull- 
man'sieeper seemed to me after my camp life. How 
cold and queer the sheets felt, but neither so warm 
or comfortable as the blankets. The feeding seemed 
nnnecessarily refined, and the quantity of new faces 
and voices perplexing and strange. 

And now, having returned to the so often and 
well described route of the Union Pacific Railroad, 
my observations on the many interesting scenes 
passed through will be of the very briefest descrip- 
tion. Before starting away for the long run to the 
Pacific coast, I would merely remark that west of the 
Mississippi the general character of the topography 
of the country is given by three great and main lines 
of elevation, which traverse from north to south. 
These are the Eocky Mountains, the Sierra Nevada, 
and tlie so-called Coast Ranges. Between the two 
former is a large plateau, over 500 miles wide, and 
extending in length far into Mexico, of an elevation 
varying from 4,000 to 8,000 feet. For the informa- 
tion of geologists, the Sierra Nevada is composed of 
granite, and metamorphic slates of the Triassic and 
Jurassic j^eriods. The Coast Range is made up 
mostly of far more recent rocks belonging to the 
miocene. On going westwards, after reaching the 
Rocky Mountains, there is a vast improvement in the 
scenery ; for, although on this western slope there are 
hundreds of miles of dreary, sandy, alkaline plains to 
be passed over, covered only with a small growth of 
sage bush, and grease wood, yet there is nnich more 



Fi'oni RawlinQS to San Francisco. 



v> 



mountain scenery, abounding in rugged and wild 
canons, pine-covered slopes, and precipitous cliffs. 

The distance from Rawlings to San Francisco is 
a little over 1,200 miles, and the time occupied by 
the express from sixty-four to sixty-six hours. The 
rate therefore is not what we should call " express 
speed," being only something over eighteen miles 
an hour, inclusive of stoppages for meals. Half an 
hour is allowed three times each day for these re- 
pasts; breakfast about seven or eight a.m., dinner 
about one or two p.m., and supper about five or six 
p.m. After supper the occupants of the Pullman's 
sleepers gradually turn into their by no means un- 
comfortable berths, and by nine p.m. or so, all is 
quiet for the night. I was fortunate throughout 
to secure a lower berth, which has the twofold ad- 
vantages of fresher air and the command of the two 
windows, which I appreciated immensely. There 
was something very enjoyable in being able to look 
out from one's bed in the bright still moonlight on the 
wild scenery through which we were running, and 
especially so when crossing the mountain ranges, 
or following the rivers through curious weird-looking 
canons. 

Although the highest point of the line has been 
passed at Sherman, 160 miles east of Rawlings, 
where the elevation is 8,242 feet above the sea level, 
yet the track is still at the latter station over 
6,700 feet, and continues over 6,000 feet for 300 
miles, till the Weber Cailon, on the other side of 
the Wahsatch Range, is reached. The actual water- 
shed of the continent is crossed about three miles to 
the west of a small station called Creston, nearly 200 
miles west of the highest point on the line, and more 



326 Wanderings in the Western Land. 

tlian 1,200 feet less in elevation. There is at Creston 
no rocky pass, no well marked ridge, to call the 
attention of the traveller to the fact that he is 
crossing any divide, much less the " Great Divide," 
— the backbone of the great American continent — 
but that fact once realized, many curious thoughts 
crop up. It seems so strange to think that here 
one drop of water may find its way into the great 
Atlantic, whilst its companion, which fell only a few 
inches off, may be destined to add to the even larger 
wastes of the immense Pacific. The locality of the 
watershed is a bare, dreary plateau, devoid of almost 
all vegetation, and swept by fearful storms of snow 
and wind during the long winter season. Both going 
and coming the express train passes over it in the 
middle of the night, so I cannot give any opinion 
on the distant views, which are said to be very 
fine. 

My first meal after joining the train was breakfast 
at Green River, and a very good one it was, served 
in a long room, liberally ornamented with heads of 
deer and bufi'alo. Near this the quaint forms of the 
isolated rocks of shale are striking and picturesque. 
Thin beds of lignite (brown coal) are found in the 
neighbourhood, and the shale is often full of bitumen, 
but I believe neither of these products is found in such 
quantities as to be, as yet, of commercial value. Fossils 
of fish abound in this locality, and very fair specimens 
are to be bought at the railroad refreshment bar at 
a somewhat excessive price. This river is said to 
take its name from the unusual colour of its water, 
but whether it is really as green as it is said to be, I 
am unable to certify from my own observation, as on 
both occasions when I crossed it was covered with a 



From Raiulings to San Fi'ancisco. 327 

coating of ice, strong enough to bear a waggon and 
team of horses. 

The next station of importance is Evanston, on 
the Bear River, a stream of great repute amongst 
hunters. This is the last town in Wyoming 
Territory, and is the dining-place for the western 
express. Here the traveller going west will first 
come across the Chinese. He will see them 
employed at the buffet as waiters, and at all the 
various kinds of work connected with the mainte- 
nance of the permanent way. 

Evanston seems to be quite a centre of fitting- 
shops, foundries, &c. Lignite of a very fine quality 
is worked in large quantities in the neighbourhood. 
So dense and bright is it, that, at a distance, the 
lumps might easily be mistaken for its very superior 
relative of the old carboniferous formation. I am 
told that the largest quantity is raised in the so- 
called Alma district, and that a short branch enables 
it to be brought with ease into the markets in con- 
nexion with the main line. 

As regards the geological position of this lignitic 
formation, Mr. Lesquereux, of the United States Geo- 
logical Survey, considers that he is authorized in 
deducing the following conclusions from the Govern- 
ment geological investigation : " that, independent 
from the Cretaceous under it, and from the Miocene 
above it, our Lignitic formations represent the 
American Eocene " (Dr. Hayden's Survey, 1872, 
p. 350) ; and I believe that most of the American 
geologists consider that the Eocene of their country 
is identical with the Eocene of Europe. This report 
contains very interesting articles on the lignitic 
formations of the Rocky Mountains. I do not 



328 Wanderings in the Western Land. 

gather tliat it seems quite certain that the beds 
will supply for very long the great requirements 
of the railroads, and of the other local manufactures, 
and the waste incurred in the mining, but as the 
formation extends over a very great area, new beds 
of the mineral may be discovered and opened out. It 
may be, too, that hereafter discoveries may be made 
which will enable the bituminous shale of the forma- 
tion to be used with advantage for various purposes 
for which lignite alone is now employed. 

To give some idea of the value of the lignite 
producing heat, I see that the average of thirteen 
analyses of different varieties by Mr. J. T. Hodge 
gives the following results ; volatile matter 35*277o; 
fixed carbon 49-667o; ash 4-25Vo. The rest was 
water, varying from 3"287o ^^ to 15*007o- The 
specific gravity ranged from l*007o to l*347o. 

Soon after leaving Evanston we passed out of 
Wyoming and entered the territory of Utah, and very 
shortly we found ourselves amidst the wonderful 
scenery of the Echo Caiion. The red sandstone rocks 
on each side of the track assume the wildest and 
quaintest shapes, and, as is usual in a country fre- 
quented by tourists, are named after the objects 
which they are supposed most to resemble, such as 
the "Castle," the "Kettle," " Jack-in-the-pulpit," 
the " Steamboat," " Sentinel," &c. &c. The rocks put 
me much in mind of those isolated cliffs on the South 
Devon line between Dawlish and Teignmouth, though 
more numerous and larger. Echo Canon leads into 
Weber Caiion, through which flows the river of that 
name. Here the rocks are greyer, but more striking 
even in shape and quaintness than those in the Echo 
Caiion. It was a lovely bright afternoon when we 



From RaivUngs to San Francisco. 329 

ran tliroiigli these mountain gorges, and the strange 
abrupt outlmes were shown off to the best advantage 
in the horizontal rays of the gorgeous winter sun. 

\Ye reached Oo-den soon after emerofingf from the 
Weber Canon. Here are situated the termini of \\\^ 
Union Pacific and the Central Pacific Railroads. 
Here, too, is the branch to Salt Lake City, of which 
more on my return journey. A stoppage of about 
an hour and a half, spent in changing Pullmans and 
at supper, and then away again westwards in 
what is called a " Silver Palace Car," which, to 
an ordinary individual, appears to be nothing more 
than a modification of a Pullman, and possessing 
the same comfortable berths, which we soon turned 
into. 

The morning found us at Elko, Avhere we break- 
fasted, having accomplished during the night about 
275 miles out of the 882 from Ogden to San Fran- 
cisco. The " outlook " is now enlivened by a good 
many Shoshone Indians, a miserable-looking lot, 
small and ungainly by nature, and many of them 
rendered even less pleasing of aspect by being 
clothed in dirty, loud-coloured blankets and tawdry 
finery. Their lodges are to be seen all along the 
line, truly wretched-looking hovels for human beings 
to inhabit, but their occuj^ants appeared to be quite 
happy in their squalor and idleness. 

From Palisade station a three-feet gauge line runs 
to Eureka, a large mining district ninety miles dis- 
tant, of which more hereafter. 

AA-^e were now travelling through Humboldt county, 
in the State of Nevada, renowned for its mineral 
wealth, especially of copper and argentiferous lead 
ores. There seems to be too an agricultural future 



330 ]Vandc7'ings in the Western Land. 

for this country, witli the aid of irrigation from the 
Humboldt river. 

Battle Mountain is reached by dinner-time. It 
gets its name from an action fought here in 1857 
between the Indians and a Government Surveying 
Expedition. Pretty specimens of the red oxide 
of copper are to bo seen at the station, which 
may be purchased for a handsome consideration. 
About a quarter of a mile from Golconda station 
there are some hot mineral springs, the steam from 
which is visible from the railway. Winnemucca sta- 
tion, 468 miles from San Francisco, and 414 from 
Ogden, apparently "taps" the Idaho country and 
the eastern part of Oregon. Humboldt, with its 
good buffet, is reached by supper-time, such a 
wonderful little " oasis " of green trees and water 
in the midst of a barren, desolate desert. The 
river Humboldt, by which we have been running 
all day, loses itself near this place in a lake with- 
out an outlet, the water going off in evaporation and 
by absorption into the sand, as fast as it runs in. 

During the night we had passed out of Nevada, 
the richest mining State of the Union, and had 
entered California. About midnight Eeno was 
reached, from which the line to Virginia city 
branches off, and at four a.m. the highest point in 
crossing the Sierra Nevada, at a station called 
" Summit," 7,042 feet above the sea. It is a matter 
greatly to be regretted that this part of the journey 
is not performed, going or coming, in daylight, but 
both the eastern and western expresses cross this 
divide in the night. We were fortunate so far, that 
the night was fine and clear, and that a good moon 
did its utmost to light up the grand scenery. It is 



From Rawliiios to San Francisco. 331 

annoying too that some of the most beautiful views 
are lost owing to the provoking, but necessary, 
" snow sheds," which are very numerous hereabouts. 
In this part of the transcontinental crossing a won- 
derful change occurs very suddenly in the scenery. 
In a few hours we rush from the miserable barren - 
looking plains of the Humboldt country to the luxu- 
riant timber-covered slopes of the beautiful Sierra 
Nevada Mountains. This portion is certainly very 
enjoyable ; such magnificent forest and mountain 
scenery and such a deliciously light and invigorating 
atmosphere. All around seemed so bright, green, and 
luxuriant as in early morn we " snaked " round the 
elevated ridge of Cape Horn, the north fork of the 
American River rushing along many hundreds of feet 
below. 

We saw plenty of signs of gold -mining in the 
descent towards Sacramento, at first chiefly of the 
so-called "hydraulic mining," but afterwards of the 
older "placer working," or "gulching." Most of 
these " placer workings " are now abandoned by the 
whites, and afford only a bare living for the hard- 
working and abstemious Chinaman. These latter 
live on one-tenth of that required by a native white, 
and are amply satisfied when they can make a dollar 
per day, or even less, whereas the regular miner is 
not content with less than from three to four dollars 
for his day's work. 

As we run down towards the plains the vegetation 
changes rapidly ; oaks and other hard woods take the 
place of the varied and beautiful pines, and agricul- 
tural clearings become frequent. From being spread 
over so long a distance — nearly 100 miles — the 
incline or " grade " from the summit to the Sacra- 



332 Wajidcrings i:i the Western Land. 

mento valley is by no means steep. Newcastle Sta- 
tion, where tlie elevation is first nnder 1,000 feet, is 
seventy-four miles from the summit, so that the 
6,000 feet difference is spread over that lengthened 
distance. 

We breakfasted at Colfax, and reached Sacramento 
in a couple of hours afterwards, passing over a mono- 
tonous dry-looking country about Stockton, whicli, 
however, on occasional seasons grows marvellous 
crops of wheat. A large irrigation canal is being 
constructed for this district, when no doubt it will 
become a more regular corn-producing locality. The 
town of Sacramento is prettily situated on the river 
of that name, and is about 125 miles from San Fran- 
cisco. The rest of the journey may be performed by 
steamboat, but as they run generally by night, 
nothing is to be gained in the way of scenery. If 
however the town itself, or the Chinese, who muster 
strong here, are objects of curiosity to the traveller, 
he may in this way obtain a few hours wherewith 
to satisfy his craving. Sacramento used to be the 
chief starting-point for emigrants bound for the 
interior, who came here from San Francisco by water, 
and commenced their land journeys from this point. 
But the railroad has interfered with this outfitting 
business, and the town is now rather a central camp 
or depot, from which a large agricultural district 
and some mining communities draw their supplies. 

Six hours' more rail over a flat corn-growing 
country, thickly covered with ranches and villages, 
and we are finally deposited at Oakland, a suburb 
of San Francisco, but on the opposite side of the har- 
bour. Although I must guard against any attempt 
at a guide-book description of this well-known 



Scvi Francisco — Beauty of its situation — Hotel. 333 

metropolis of the west, yet I cannot help saying 
a few words p)i j)a?,m,]it to bear my testimony to 
the beautiful cowf-iV veil on approaching it from 
this quarter. The (piantity and variety of shipping, 
riding securely in the great land-locked haven ; the 
imposing position of the town itself, the beautiful 
chain of mountains known as the Coast Range ; the 
lovely colour of the sky and sea ; the queer-looking 
gulls and other sea birds, disporting themselves in 
apparent security close around us; all these when first 
seen in the glories of a winter's setting sun, made it 
one of those pictures which memory loves to dwell 
upon. 

But we had not much time to enjoy the beauty 
of the scene. The fine ferry steamer had soon 
transported us across, when we were forthwith 
taken possession of by the representative of our 
respective hotels. My selection was the "Palace," 
one of those monuments of American enterprise 
and conceptions which so astonish us less specu- 
lative and less ambitious inhabitants of the Old 
World. It is said to have cost $5,000,000 
(1,000,000/.), and to have been the outlay of a single 
individual. It can make up over 1,000 beds, and 
everything else is on the same surprising scale. In 
the basement there are shops or " stores," but, after 
my first evening's acquaintance with them, when 
at the hair-cutter's I was charged $1 (= 4.9.) for 
cutting and washing my hair, and $1 more for 
washing my brushes, I did not see any advantage 
in patronizing them any further. The hotel itself 
was comfortable, and not more expensive than 
others of far less pretensions. 

I was not particularly struck with the architecture 



334 Wanderings in the Western Land. 

of" Frisco." Some of tlie buildings are fine, but these 
are the exception, and the general effect fell far short 
of what I had anticipated. From being the abode of 
so many millionaires, very good private residences 
might be looked for, but of such I saw scarcely any. 
But that I'icli men do abound in Frisco there seems 
no doubt, for I saw two dozen names given in 
one of the leading newspapers of men possessing 
over $4,000,000 (800,000/.) each, and it was further 
stated that the four principal owners of the Central 
Pacific Railroad are credited with an aggregate for- 
tune of $50,000,000, or $12,500,000 ^2,500,000/.) 
each ! I believe many of these gentlemen live out 
of town, and that some of their country seats are 
most sumptuous and magnificent. 

Some of the environs are charming, especially 
the entrance to the harbour, called the " Golden 
Gate," and the " Seal Rocks," and both of these 




THIi SEAL KOCKS, SAN i'KAX CISCO. 

From i! Sketch bi/ A. P. I'. 



are within an easy afternoon's drive. The view 
from the Cliff' House on to the vast Pacific Ocean, 



Sa?i Francisco^ its environs — The Seal Koeks. 



J jd 



with the Seal Rocks in the foreground is very fine, 
and it is made the more interesting to an English- 
man by the feeling, that in gazing westwards here 
he is looking towards Australia and not America, 
as from his own native land. 

These Seal Rocks are extremely striking and inte- 
resting. They are literally covered with sea lions and 
seals. Therethey are to be seen any day, bellowing and 
disporting themselves in full enjoyment of nature's 
freedom, and that, too, Avithin a few miles of this large 
and populous city, and within a few hundred yards of 
a suburban resort, like Greenwich or Richmond. So 
curious a sight of wild nature is simply unique, and I 
can well understand that the authorities have hitherto 
jealously guarded the sea monsters from molestation. 
It seems difficult to believe, but apparently a well- 
grounded rumour is now abroad, that it has been de- 
cided to destroy this, the greatest curiosity of San 
Francisco, on account of the number of salmon and 
other fish which the poor beasts kill ! Surely such a 
step will not be taken without the most undoubted 
and incontrovertible evidence that the mischief done 
is really excessive and seriously injuring the fishing 
interests, and moreover that it is directly trace- 
able to the seals. A scarcity of fish may arise 
from so many causes- — such as natural bad seasons, 
destruction of the spawn or fry — that the poor 
pliocte might easily get blamed and destroyed for 
an evil by no means of their creation. When 
they are destroyed the true cause of failure in the 
fisheries might be found out, but too late to resus- 
citate the departed wonders, and this most curious 
sight would have become a thing of the past. 

But a few more words on the town itself before 



336 Wanderings in the ]Vesterii Land. 

leavinof it no^'ain for otlier scenes. The streets are 
crowded with a motley energetic mass, hampered 
occasional!}^ in their busy movements by groups of 
business men standing in knots outside the banks 
and Stock Exchange, or by squads of idlers and 
loafers on the look-out for anything and everything 
which may occur. These latter worthies have ob- 
tained the local name of " hoodlums," and are said 
to be the great instigators in the movement now 
raging against the hard-working Chinaman. I 
believe this would-be persecution has arisen simply 
because the Celestial is ready to work for less 
wages than the native, and that in this way 
he is producing a downward tendency in the 
labour market. Unfortunately the " hoodlum's " 
views have been taken up by some popularity- 
seeking stump orators as a political platform, and 
men of influence have pledged themselves to pro- 
pose to Congress a bill for expelling Chinese sub- 
jects or at any rate for their exclusion in future. 
That Congress should seriously entertain such a 
proposition is more than an outsider can imagine. 
I have always understood that one of the funda- 
mental laws of the United States is that every one 
is on a perfectly equal footing and cannot be inter- 
fered with so lono- as he conducts himself in con- 
formity with the laws of the country, and I 
never heard it asserted, even by his bitterest 
enemies, that John Chinaman was not a well-con- 
ducted individual. He is acknowledged, I beheve, by 
all to be a law-abiding, industrious inhabitant, and 
so long as ho continues such, how, in the name of 
justice, can he bo expelled ? Moreover, how is it 
possible to taboo a country, by passing a law that its 



San Francisco — -The Chinese question. 337 

inhabitants shall not become the citizens of a free 
country, such as this ? As far as I saw in my very 
brief stay, the Chinese element seemed to have be- 
come almost a necessity in this part of the world. 
In all phases of the working portion of society, from 
the domestic washerwoman (or rather washerman) 
to the railway labourer and the miner in " placer" 
workings, the curious-looking celestial was con- 
spicuous. I happened to visit a large tailoring 
establishment in this town. Here at work in long 
rooms or lofts were scores of Chinese, laughing and 
jabbering away in their own lingo. I do not doubt 
that San Francisco and other communities would 
be able eventually to get on without them, but I 
question whether many establishments and interests, 
and amongst these especially domestic households, 
would not feel it very difficult to supply the vacuum 
caused by the expulsion of the 90,000 Asiatics ; and 
whether such a measure would not produce a very 
large increase of expenditure to all concerned. To 
an outsider it would rather appear that the right 
and proper course for the government of this 
free people to pursue would be, not to give way 
to this popular but unjustifiable cry by imposing 
a capitation tax — as some of our own colonies 
have tried — or any such doubtful and protective 
measure, but rather to endeavour to improve the 
social position of this useful citizen by well-con- 
sidered measures for the moral training of his 
children and for bettering the social and sanitary 
condition of his dwelling-places. 

And now a few words about the climate and 
productions of San Francisco and California gene- 
rally. Judging from my own short personal ex- 

z 



2)2,8 IVaitdej^'ings in the Western Land. 

perience of the former it appeared to be very mild 
and relaxing, but treaclierous and subject to cold 
blasts of wind off tlie ocean. This must make it 
trying for invalids, notwithstanding that the mean 
temperature is so high and equable. The average 
temperature in the month of January is no lower 
than 49°, and of July not above 57°. Southern 
California seems however to possess a more desirable 
climate for a winter residence. The mean tempera- 
tures of the month of January at Santa Barbara is 
54° ; at Los Angeles, 52°, and Santa Monica, 52°, 
and they are not, I believe, subjected to the same 
sudden changes as further north. Great quantities of 
all sorts of fruit are grown in these districts, which 
are sent preserved or canned by rail to the Eastern 
States. A pumpkin outside one of the stores here, 
from Los Angeles county, weighed 1551bs., and I 
heard extraordinary accounts of the height to which 
the maize grew in those parts. 

The drainage question seems likely to be a source 
of trouble to San Francisco. Great cause for un- 
easiness would seem to exist, for the head of the 
sanitary department has stated in his report that 
" death from zymotic causes was 34*8% of the total 
mortality during the past year, against 19 "1°/^ for 
the previous year." The whole of this document is 
most interesting, and shows that that gentleman 
(Dr. Meares) is well up in all the improvements of 
the modern system of house and town drainage. 
He makes mention of, and advocates strongly, venti- 
lation not trusting solely to traps, which in times 
now happily past have doubtless often been the cause 
of fearful outbreaks of typhoid and other fevers. 
More than ordinary care will have to be taken to 



California^ its rainfall — Mining position. 339 

ensure a full supply of flushing water, on account 
of the long periods of drought which occur here. 

The annual rainfall of California seems to be extra- 
ordinarily variable. It is most curious to observe 
how the prosperity of all branches of the community 
seems, directly or indirectly, to depend upon its 
abundance. To the agriculturist, it is not only a 
question of good corn crops but even of the actual 
preservation of their flocks and herds. To the 
miners, so many processes of gold-winning depend 
on a full supply of water, that to them an abundant 
rainfall is of paramount importance. In these 
Western States the prosperity of the whole com- 
munity depends upon these two great industries, on 
the results of winch in the year 1877 I will just cast 
a glance. 

Although California is no longer the leading 
mining State, its production falling far short of 
that of its sister State, Nevada, and although it is 
fast becoming primarily an agricultural State, for 
according to the miner's ditty — 

" But I tell you what it is, 

The times they ain't no more 
In Californy as they Avas 
'Way back in Fifty-four. 

" Hit's swarming with them Chinese rats 
Wot's tuk the country sure — 
A race that lives on dogs and cats 
Will make all mean or poor." 

Yet in deference to its past mineral celebrity, we 
will first compare this part of its productions with 
those of the other Western States and Territories. 
On referring to the "Annual Review" for 1877, 
published at the Commercial Herald office, San 



340 Wanderings in the Western Land. 

Francisco, I find that tlie money value of tlie 
precious metals produced in California were as 
follows: gold, $15,237,729 (= 3,047,546/.); silver, 
$2,936,987 (= 587,398/.) making together a total 
of $18,174,716 (= 3,634,944/.); whereas the value 
of the bullion produced in Nevada is stated as 
$51,580,290 (10,316,060/.). The total worth of 
the precious metals produced in all the States and 
Territories (inclusive of California and Nevada) 
west of the Missouri River and including British Co- 
lumbia, and some received in San Francisco 
from the west coast of Mexico, is put down as : 
gold, $26,525,331 (- 5,305,066/.), and silver, 
$71,891,423 {- 14,378,285/.), giving together a 
value of $98,421,754 (= 19.683,351/.). This is 
stated to be an increase of some $7,000,000 
(= 1,400,000/.) on the production of 1876, not- 
withstanding " a greatly restricted water supply." 
Nevada, Utah, Arizona, Oregon, Washington, 
Idaho, Colorado, and Dakotah show an increased 
bullion production, while in California, New 
Mexico, Montana, British Columbia, and Mexico 
there has been a falling off. This review goes on 
to state that " since the discovery of gold in Cali- 
fornia, which event occurred thirty years ago this 
present month (January, 1878), there have been 
created in the countries lying west of the Missouri 
River, and mostly on American territory, bullion 
values to the amount of $1,948,000,000 (or 
389,600,000/.) ; of this sum, about $1,586,000,000 
(or 317,200,000/.) has been composed of gold, very 
little silver having been produced here prior to 
1861, when the Comstock deposits, discovered three 
years before, began first to turn out this metal in 



Bullio7i production of the Western States, &€. 341 

notable quantity." The value of the gold in the bul- 
lion produced from the Pacific States and Territories 
goes on decreasing every year, whilst the value of 
the silver greatly increases. Since 1861, inclusive, 
"the production of gold for the entire coast has 
been $876,000,000 {- 175,200,000/.); silver, 
$372,000,000 (= 74,000,000/.), while last year, 
1877, the value of gold and silver in the bullion 
was not far from being equal ; the gold being 
$51,000,000 (= 10,200,000/.), and the silver 
$49,000,000 (= 9,800,000/.)." It appears now, 
however, to be an established fact in the case of 
many of the most important silver-mines that the 
lodes become more and more gold-bearing as they 
increase their depth from the surface. This takes 
place with the celebrated Comstock lode in Nevada, 
the bullion from which during the past year has 
been very nearly of equal value in gold and silver, 
the latter being still slightly in excess, but on this 
more anon. 

It is the practice in the assay offices of San 
Francisco, as in other parts of the States, to give the 
results of an assay in monied valued, not in con- 
tents, as with us. 

One of the chief conclusions to be deduced from 
a perusal of the mineral statistics of these regions is, 
that their prosperity is subject to frequent variations. 
Some districts seem on the whole to be doing well 
and producing largely, others again are " playing 
out," and amongst the latter must be placed, if 
taken as a whole, the State of California. 

Now as to agriculture, the agricultural prosperity 
of California and of the other States and Territories 
on the Pacific slope during the past year was greatly 



342 Wanderings in the JVesicrn Land. 

affected by the before-mentioned small rainfall. The 
grain crop is said to have been not more than one 
third of that of an ordinary year, and heavy losses 
have been suffered on sheep and cattle. 

The State of California is as large as many 
countries of Europe. I believe the area is 188,981 
square miles or 120,947,840 acres. Of this quantity 
it is said that 40,000,000 acres are fit for the plough, 
and that as much more presents excellent facilities 
for stock raising, fruit growing, &c ; while little 
more than one eighth of the whole area is at present 
cultivated. Besides this, there are mountain graz- 
ings capable of producing excellent meat in years of 
moderate rainfall. 

From the above figures it will be seen that " the 
agricultural area exceeds that of Great Britain and 
Ireland together, or the entire peninsula of Italy." 
The population, however, is at present far too small 
to occupy effectually so large a quantity of land. 
It is said to be one million ; wdiile it is calculated 
that ten times that number would be required to do 
justice to such a territory. 

The southern and south-eastern provinces seem 
to be developing very fast in growing grain and 
fruit as well . as meat. Systems of irrigation are 
being planned and carried out which will compensate 
for the scarcity of water with which they have 
hitherto had to contend. In addition to these pro- 
spective benefits, they are already deriving great 
advantage from being tapped by the Southern Pacific 
Railway system. 

To give some idea of the rapidity and the scale on 
which things are done in this country I read of a 
single ranche of 7,000 acres now irrigated and under 



California, as an agriciLltural State. 



143 



the plough and producing grain, vegetables, and fruit, 
where three years ago there was a complete waste. 
The size to which things grow is astonishing. It is 
said that many of the potatoes from this same ranche 
weigh from one to five pounds each, while some 
reach ten pounds and even more. Its farm stock at 
the end of last year (1877) was as follows,4,000 cattle, 
7,000 sheep, and 2,000 hogs, and a large number of 
horses, mules, poultry, &c., besides 6,000 tons of hay, 
5,000 sacks of barley, 2,600 sacks of wheat, and very 
large quantities of corn (maize) and roots for the 
sheep and cattle ! 

It would seem from the foregoing statement that 
California, as an agricultural producer, is still in her 
infancy, and that when capital is brought to bear 
and irrigating canals constructed to meet the destruc- 
tive droughts, we may anticipate a very consider- 
able increase of importations from her. Perhaps 
one of the best criterions of the productiveness of 
the land is to be found in the exports of grain, and 
I extract therefore the following table, showing the 
exportations from San Francisco for the last five 
years : — 





Flour. 


Wheat. 


Barley. 


Oats. 


barrels. 


centals. 


centals. 


centals. 


1873 


479,417 


9,175,960 


269,896 


5,725 


1874 


535,695 


8,054,670 


222,596 


78,354 


1875 


497,163 


7,505,320 


126,188 


5,377 


1876 


508,143 


9,967,941 


351,897 


3,721 


1877 


434,684 


4,931,437 


90,330 


4,544 



China was the best customer for flour, having 
taken in 1877 over 164,000 barrels against 157,000 



344 Wanderings in the Western Land. 

taken by Great Britain ; but for wbeat and barley the 
Britisli market — independent of her colonies — stands 
out as pre-eminently the greatest outlet. Of wheat 
Great Britain took 4,870,069 centals, and of barley 
72,744 centals. 

As an additional proof of the effect of a small 
rainfall on agriculture, the decrease in value of ex- 
ports of grain in 1877 over 1876 is estimated at 
$8,810,672, or 1,762,186^. 

So much for the grain productions, but there are 
other exports of great importance besides bulUon 
and corn. Perhaps the article next in the list would 
be wool. Last year the clip was over fifty-three 
million pounds. In 1876 it was fifty-six millions ; 
in 1875 forty-three millions ; in 1874 thirty-nine 
millions ; and in 1872 twenty-four millions. The 
total production since 1854 inclusive is stated to be 
381,579,780 lbs., of which probably 333,000,000 lbs. 
may be credited to the last ten years, the production 
having in that period been stimulated by a large 
home demand. 

In some parts the cultivation of the vino is 
attracting much attention, and wine already takes a 
leading position among the many and varied 
productions of the State. In 1876 seven million 
gallons were made, but last year the yield fell to 
four millions, in consequence of a hot sirocco wind, 
which prevailed for some time and shrivelled up 
the fruit. There were besides 20,000 cases of 
champagne produced in 1877 and a considerable 
quantity of brandy. The names of European wines, 
such as port, sherry, champagne, &c., have been 
generally adopted, which is now looked upon as a 
mistake, and it is thought that it would have been 



California, its natural resources. 345 

better to have adliered to tlie oriofinal local nomen- 
clatures. 

It is indeed wonderful how bountiful nature has 
been to these regions. It is sufficient to visit the 
market of San Francisco to be convinced alike of 
the fertility of the soil, and of the resources 
of the rivers, lakes, aud forests. Not only are 
out-door vegetables and fruit obtainable at almost 
any season of the year, but in early summer they 
are in astounding quantities. Last year 2600 tons 
of green fruit were sent eastwards ; and the re- 
ceipts of strawberries during the latter part of 
April averaged 650 chests per day, weighing eighty 
pounds each. In one day thirty -four and a half tons 
were received in the market ! Oranges and lemons 
are being now largely grown, but both comparatively 
recently. 

Then as to fish, I saw magnificent salmon from 
the Sacramento River, and less inviting- looking lake 
trout, from that very elevated inland sea Lake Tahoe, 
of good size, but long and lanky, and unsatisfactory- 
looking in a fisherman's eyes. It is stated that 
170,800 packages of salmon, of the value $960,000 
(=192,000/.), were sent away by sea in 1876, and 
160,982 packages, of the value of $1,023,446 
(=204,689/.), in 1877. 

Game is said to be still plentiful at a little distance 
from the towns, but far less so than formerly, and 
legislation has been invoked to prevent its further 
destruction. The beautiful pastures of the slopes 
of the timber-covered ranges are true paradises for 
the deer tribe, and if only a proper close time and 
fair play are secured, there would be no danger of 
extermination or even of scarcity. It appears, how- 



346 Waiideri7tgs iii the Western Land. 

ever, that of late the glove trade has required so 
much buck and doe skin that both sexes of deer 
have been slaughtered at all seasons and at all ages 
to meet the demand of the factories. Laws have 
now been passed by the local Legislature to meet 
this evil, and it is to be hoped that they will be 
successfully enforced. 

Small game is plentiful. Quail and ducks are to 
be found in great numbers at the proper season. 
I heard of one gentleman killing 114 canvas-back 
ducks in a single day. Unfortunately I had not 
time to take advantage of some tempting invitations 
to try my hand at this enjoyable but difficult shoot- 
ing; my holiday was nearly over, and I had most 
reluctantly to say nay. 

I have said enough on the natural capabilities of 
California. Any number of dry statistics could be 
collected in proof of its mineral and agricultural 
wealth. But with all these advantages it does not 
strike one as altogether a desirable country to settle 
in. Man does not seem as yet to have arrived at a 
just appreciation of the gifts of a bounteous Pro- 
vidence, or to understand that only a due observance 
of those social duties which enable people to exist 
tosrether, and to contribute to one another's welfare 
and happiness, will permit liim to reap advantage 
from a fertile soil and a fine climate. For the proof 
that nature's gifts, however bountiful, will not alone 
make a country happy or great, the inhabitants have 
only to look to the adjoining Mexican Republic. It 
is quite true that in California a more sober-minded 
people predominate, but the alloy is considerable. 
Originally, at the time of the gold discovery, a very 
rough sample from all parts of the world was collected 



California, its social future. 347 

liere. Whether this roving element has died out, 
or moved on, or still remains to give future trouble 
to the more order-loving portion of its citizens, is a 
question which disturbs the peace of many a worthy 
member of the thinking portion of society. It would 
seem to an outsider as if the capital and labour ques- 
tion was destined to give more trouble here than 
perhaps in any other part of the world. The rowdy 
meetings against the Chinese portend no good, and 
if the lowest and laziest elements of society succeed, 
as seems not unlikely, in their unjust demands, what 
will they next assail ? Will communism be the next 
plunge? and if it should succeed, what miserable in- 
ternal fightings must follow ; and then of what avail 
are nature's bounties ? However favoured a country, 
we may rest assured that man's duty towards his 
fellow-man must be observed ; social order must be 
preserved ; capital and labour must play their re- 
spective parts, or even California, with all its sur- 
prising natural advantages, will fail to become the 
happy and envied home of a contented and pros- 
perous people. 



CHAPTER XVI. 

" Gold ! gold ! gold ! gold ! 
Bright and yellow, hard and cold, 
Spurn'd by the young, hut hugg'd by the ohl 
To the very verge of the churchyard mould ! " 

Hood, '^ Miss Kilmansegij." 

" Murther most foul, as in the best it is." 

ShaJies]jeare, " Hamlet." 

Trip to the Yosemite — Position of the Valley — Bad time of year — - 
Merced — INIiserable conveyance — Hornitos — Gold-Mining — Dif- 
ferent systems — "Eebellious" ores — Geological occurrence of 
Gold Veins — The Foothills of the Sierra IS'evada — Nature's 
Garden — -The Mariposa Estate — A curious history — "Making 
time" — "More haste, Avorse speed" — A disaster — A crowded 
" House " — -" A Shooting Case "-^American Law Courts — Judge- 
making — Its results. 

As it was now, perhaps, the worst part of the year, 
namely the beginning of January, there were some 
doubts expressed at San Francisco as to the prac- 
ticability of an excursion to the far-famed Yosemite 
Valley. It was feared that the depth of snow on the 
" divides " would be too great, certainly for wheels, 
and possibly for pack-horses. But I thought that, 
to return home without having visited the Yosemite 
and the Big Trees would be not only a great 
disappointment, but a blot on my wanderings. 
Accordingly I determined to make the attempt, and 



The Yoscniitd Valley, position and roiitcs. 349 

arranged with an obliging ticket-agent at Frisco to 
put liimself in communication with the local agents, 
in order that no unnecessary delay might occur to 
my movements. I was accompanied by a Welsh 
gentleman, who was as anxious as myself for the 
excursion. 

During the proper season the trip is made from 
San Francisco with the most perfect ease and com- 
fort, a return ticket costing $80 (16/.), and the time 
occupied being about four or five days. 

The Yosemite Valley is a caiion of the Merced 
Eiver, and is situated about 140 miles slightly south 
of east from San Francisco. It is nearly in the 
centre of the State of California, north and south, 
and exactly midway between the east and west bases 
of the Sierra Nevada range, which is here about 
seventy miles across. The ordinary route from San 
Francisco is by rail to Merced, distant about 139 
miles, on the Central Pacific Railroad, which takes 
nearly seven hours to accomplish. Then sixty miles 
in a " stage," by Mariposa, to Clark's Ranche ; then 
by stage again into the valley about twenty-five 
miles more. The return journey is often made by 
way of Coulterville to Merced, where the rail is 
again joined, after a somewhat long drive of ninety- 
four miles. 

In our case we had no choice of routes, only one 
being deemed practicable, on account of the snow 
on the divides. 

The first night we slept at the Railway Inn at 
Merced, and started early the next moruing for 
Mariposa in a wretched old vehicle, which out of the 
season did the duty of the " stage." Our road at 
first lay over a most uninteresting plain, the greater 



350 IVanderiiigs in the Western Land. 

part of wliicli seemed to afford only a doubtful 
existence to scattered flocks of Merino sheep. 
Where irrigation had been brought to bear, enor- 
mous tracts of stubble testified to the great 
extent to which this district had contributed to 
the grain crop of the past year. Our driver was 
a queer specimen of a western Jehu, very quaint 
in his ideas, and quite noted even out here for 
the way in which he expressed them. He was 
rather of a morose turn of mind, and the " nipping 
and eager air" of the early morning did not improve 
this natural tendency. Moreover, his amiability was 
not increased by a breakage which occurred to the 
springs of the old rattle-trap very soon after start- 
ing, which delayed us some little time. As we 
were the only passengers, with the exception of an 
occasional " pick up," we saw and heard plenty of 
our friend before the day was out, and he rather 
improved on acquaintance, perhaps from the ex- 
ternal influence of the sun's rays, or the internal 
glow imparted by sundry drinks of whiskey. The 
first and only change of horses was at Hornitos, 
twenty-three miles from Merced, before arriving at 
which we had begun ascending out of the plain, and 
had reached an elevation of about 700 feet. 

We were now in what had been once a rich and 
celebrated gold-mining district. Signs of old work- 
ings were to be seen on all sides, and perhaps, a 
few words here on the systems of gold-mining in 
general use will be of interest to my readers. 

The most common and general modes of mining 
gold seem to be three in number, and go by the 
name of " placer," " hydraulic," and " quartz " 
mining. The so-called " placer mining" is the most 



Gold mining, the different systems. 3 5 i 

ancient system, being the only one practised when 
gold was first discovered. It consists in " washing " 
and " dressing "the alluvial gravel deposited in the 
river-courses, gulches, &c, by means of " pans," 
" rockers " (which are not unlike a baby's cradle), 
" long Toms," and " sluices," &c. The alluvial 
deposits in early times were very rich in gold ; but 
most of them have now been washed over several 
times, and are no longer capable of returning to the 
operator as much as a dollar per day. Such earnings 
do not suffice for white men, consequently, as I have 
said before, nearly all the placer-operations are now 
carried on by Chinese. 

The "hydraulic" system can be worked only at 
such places where a head of water is obtainable. 
The water is led through pipes, to the end of which 
hoses and nozzles are attached ; and such is often 
the head of water and consequent force, that to be 
struck by the jet is instantaneous death. Banks 
and deposits of auriferous quartz gravel left in the 
beds of the old or "dead" rivers, (whose courses are 
■supposed to have been interrupted by volcanic dis- 
turbances,) can be operated upon on this system 
with great success. Some of the large mining 
companies work only in this way, a scanty rain- 
fall therefore is felt as much by them as by any 
other class of the community, and often puts an 
entire stop to their operations. 

The third system is the " quartz mining." This 
is perhaps the most extensive and successful of all. 
It seems to have been first introduced about 1S51, 
when the shallow diggings began to show signs of 
exhaustion. Owing, however, to its having been often 
at first tried on lodes not sufficiently rich, and also 



352 Wanderings in the Western Land. 

to very great and unnecessary expenditures being 
incurred in erecting macliinery and stamp-mills, this 
system at first proved a failure, and was to a certain 
extent abandoned until 1853, when it was resus- 
citated, and seems to be now steadily on tlie in- 
crease. It consists in simply winning and working 
the auriferous quartz veins, in the same Avay as if 
they were ordinary metalliferous lodes, b}^ means of 
sinking or driving shafts or levels to suit the lay of 
the strata, and other local circumstances. 

I am told that the expense of treatment in 
hydraulic mining is very small indeed. It is said to 
pay to treat stuff worth originally only 206\ (say Ls.) 
per ton ; whereas in " quartz mining " it should not 
be worth less than $7 or $8 (286'. or 32.s'.) per ton 
to return a profit, even if the mill in which it is 
afterwards crushed and treated is close at hand, and 
the property of the same adventurers. 

Here in the neighbourhood of Hornitos a great 
deal of placer-mining has existed, and some is still 
being carried on, in a small way by, the Chinese. 

There are also some quartz mines close by ; one 
of them about five miles off, called the Washington, 
is of considerable importance. The shaft is driven 
on the slant or dip of the quartz vein in a slate and 
granite " country rock," as it is here termed. At 
this mine a mill of twenty stamps has been erected, 
and over a hundred men are employed by the 
company. 

A great difficulty is often met with in the treat- 
ment of much of the ores from auriferous quartz 
mines, on account of their containing a blackish 
substance, called by the Mexicans " plumosa," which 
makes the ores " rebellious " or " refractory," and 



Gold miJiino^ — " Rebellions " ores. 



oo J 



entails a loss of produce in the after-treatment by 
amalgamation with quicksilver. I saw specimens 
of ore from this neighbourhood, showing a con- 
siderable quantity of this " plumosa," which in 
appearance resembles thin layers of zinc blende 
("black jack"), but I could only examine it in a 
very cursory manner, and cannot speak with any 
certainty. 

A small mine I visited near here was sunk on a 
quartz vein, lying at an angle, I should say, of 50°. 
The lode itself consisted of a dense milk-white 
quartz, containing a very little finely-disseminated 
native gold, but great quantities of auriferous iron 
pyrites. It varied from five to twelve feet in thick- 
ness, and I was told that ore had been taken from 
it, worth from $50 to $200 (10/. to 40Z.) per ton, but 
that it was very " rebellious." 

I was told that at the Washington mines they 
treated fhe "rebellious" ores by " chlorodising," 
but that even then there was a considerable loss of 
produce, and that nearly all their gold output was 
from "free" (or native) gold contained in the quartz. 
Here we have, then, a metallurgical problem which 
will well repay any one skilful enough to discover 
a practical solution, for there appears to be no doubt 
that great quantities of gold are now thrown " over 
the heap " in the ores too "rebellious" to treat 
profitably by the existing known modes of extraction. 

The auriferous quartz veins occur principally in a 
slate formation, which the great American geologist, 
Mr. Clarence King, has satisfactorily determined by 
fossils — such as belemnites, ancellse, and others — to 
belong to the Jurassic period. In much the largest 
number of cases the veins coincide in dip and 

A a 



354 Wanderings in the Wcstcj-n Lanel. 

strike with the rock in which they are enclosed, 
although in a few instances the}^ appear to cut the 
slate at a slight angle. Mr. King states that, 
" Nearly all the veins which occur in the granite, 
and they are quite numerous, have the same dip 
and strike, as those in the slates ; a few, however, 
run at right angles to these " (Geological Survey 
of California, vol. i. p. 226). There appears also to 
be cross courses of more recent volcanic rocks very 
similar to what occurs in other metalliferous slate 
formations. The granite is of a light grey colour, 
crystalline and compact. In some places beds of 
carboniferous limestone may be seen interstratified 
with the auriferous slates. 

After leaving Hornitos, the scenery became much 
more interesting and enjoyable. We now passed 
through the foothills of the Sierra Nevada, with no 
great growth of forest trees, but covered in places 
with a dense undergrowth of " chaparal," composed 
principally of the crooked, but picturesque red- 
barked manzanita, a sort of maple, and what is called 
here "buck's-eye," resembling in growth a dwarf fig- 
tree. Amongst the forest trees were oak, spruce, 
and cedar ; but I saw no very fine specimens of any 
of these until after we had passed Mariposa. The 
hill-sides appear to have been recently denuded of 
timber for the use of the mines, which would 
account for the scarcity of fine forest trees. In 
the summer time the beauty of these braes must 
be very wonderful, for, besides the many flowering 
shrubs and undergrowth, the sward is covered with 
masses of gorgeous wild flowers, wherever they 
have any mould to grow in. To give an idea of 
the beauty of nature's carpet. Prof. Brewer, in the 



The Mainposa Estate — A curious history. 355 

Government Report of California in 18 64, says — 
that "there are 1600 flowering plants, and 100 
species of mosses growing naturally within the 
limits of the State ! " In the spring the whole 
country must indeed be one beautiful garden. 

Our road now lay through Bear River Valley, one 
of the most productive mining portions of the famous 
"Mariposa Estate." This so-called "estate" is a 
nice Httle property of seventy square miles, or 44,380 
acres, containing within its circuit the richest mineral 
districts of the State. On it were located the once 
famous mines, " Josephine," " Pine Tree," " Mari- 
posa," "Mount Ophir," and "Princeton." The 
past history of the property is so interesting and 
peculiar that I cannot help giving a very short out- 
line of it. 

This most valuable tract was granted originally 
by the Mexican Government to one of its own 
subjects, from whom it was purchased in 1847 by 
J. C. Fremont, the great explorer. This gentleman 
had his rights confirmed by the United States in 
1856, not long after the country came into possession 
of the American people. 

Very soon afterwards a nice legal question arose 
as to whether Fremont had a right to the minerals. 
It appeared that the original Mexican grant did not 
convey it ; but a law-suit resulted in the decision 
that an American patent for land carries the minerals 
with it. The occupiers of the mines would not, 
however, concur in this decision, and defied the 
officers of the law. " The mines were converted 
into fortifications ; the mouths of the tunnels were 
barricaded; there were besiegers and besieged, and 
several men were killed. But at last, in 1859, 

A a 2 



356 VVandei'ijios in the IVcstcrn Land. 

Fremont triumplied, and, under liis Mexican grant, 
obtained land wliicli the Mexican Government did 
not intend to grant, and minerals which it syste- 
matically reserved." (Government Report, " Re- 
sources of United States," 1868, p. 22.) 

A short time after this the monthly yield of gold 
from the quartz mines of the estate became very 
large. In 1860 it averaged $39,500 (7,900/.) ; in 
1861, $53,500 (10,700/.); in 1862 (although great 
damage was done this year to mills and mines by 
floods), $43,500 (8700/.) ; in the first five months 
of 1863, $77,000 (15,400/.) ; in May of that year it 
produced $101,000 (20,200/.) worth of bullion. " It 
seemed then to have reached the figure of $100,000 
(20,000/.) per month, with a fair prospect of still 
further increase. It was at this time that the estate 
was sold to an incorporated company in New York, 
and the stock put upon the market in the midst of 
the San Francisco mining-stock fever, which extended 
its influence across the continent. The prospectus of 
the company presented a very attractive picture to 
speculators. The average monthly yield for three 
years had been $50,000 (10,000/.), and for half a 
year the net profits had equalled that sum." Then 
followed in the said prospectus, most hopeful reports 
and flourishing accounts of future prospects from 
various mining engineers, and consequently " Large 
quantities of the stock were purchased, and there 
were large quantities to be purchased ; for the paper 
capital of the company was $10,000,000 (2,000,000/.). 
The company was organized by Fiemont's creditors, 
who had become owners of the property ; but in- 
stead of cancelling the debt and taking stock for it, 
they took a mortgage for $15,000,000 (3,000,000/.), 



The Mariposa Estate Miniiiq- Company. 357 

payable in gold, and issued the stock subject to that 
debt, which was supposed to be the only encum- 
brance on the property ; at least, that was the 
supposition of many who bought the stock. It 
soon appeared, however, that there were $480,000 
(96,000/.) in gold due, besides $300,000 (60,000/.) 
on the Garrison lien, $50,000 (10,000/.) on the Clark 
mortgage, and $130,000 (26,000/.) to workmen and 
others in California. Moreover, with the new pos- 
sessors, the yield at once fell off; it seemed as if 
every nerve had been strained to make the yield of 
May as large as possible, and that as soon as the 
sale was made the production decreased more than 
fifty per cent. The yield for the first five months 
in 1863, before the sale, was $385,000 (77,000/.), and 
during the last six, after the sale, $186,993 (37,399/.). 
In the former period there was a net profit of 
$50,000 (10,000/.) per month, in the latter a net 
loss of $80,000 (16,000/.)." Matters appear to 
have gone from bad to worse, until, in 1867, a 
receiver was appointed. I quote the foregoing 
history of this curiosity even in western mining 
transactions from the Government Report of the 
Mineral Resources of the United States for 1868. 
No comment is required from me to call attention 
to the more than ordinary uncertainty of human 
afikirs as exhibited in this western mining property. 
But to return to our Yosemite trip. In conse- 
quence of the delay at the commencement of the 
stage portion, we had been behind all through the 
day. Our driver had, however, " made good time " 
through Bear Valley, and we had hoped to reach 
Mariposa before it was dark. We had travelled, if 
not very rapidly at any rate very jauntingly, for the 



358 Wanderings in the Western Land. 

roads were infamous. On our way we had passed 
many signs of the extensive mining operations 
of the aforesaid Mariposa Company at Princeton, 
Mount Ophir, and elsewhere. We had reached to 
within a mile of our destination, the tovv^n of Mari- 
posa, and were going at a gallop at the bottom of 
one of the many little dips or " gulches " which we 
had hitherto so successfully "sprung," when, all of a 
sudden, without the slighest warning, snap went the 
kingbolt, and thud on to the hard ground dropped 
the after-portion of our miserable vehicle- The 
horses and the fore-wheels continued their course 
as if nothing had happened, with the wretched driver 
hanging on to the reins, vociferating in the most 
endearing western vernacular to his beloved quad- 
rupeds. Vain were his blandishments ; along the 
hard road they continued to drag his prostrate form, 
until at last he was forced to let go, and return be- 
draggled to see what had become of us. Fortunately 
no real damage was done to any one, and com- 
paratively little to that portion of the vehicle which 
remained in situ ; so, after a certain amount of bad 
language towards the old rattle-trap and all con- 
cerned, it was arranged that we should proceed on 
foot to Mariposa, and send out assistance, whilst the 
driver stayed to guard the baggage. Amongst this 
was the " treasure-box " of "Wells, Fargo, and Co., 
the well-known express agents, containing $25,000 
(5,000/.) in gold, rather a tempting piece of plunder 
for any passing " road agent." It was not very 
dark, so we had no difficulty in keeping the road 
and in finding our way to the small inn, which re- 
joiced in being the best " house " in this uninviting 
little town. Our horses had arrived some time 



A "■stage'''' accident — Mariposa. 359 

before us, and had successfully steered the front 
portion of our late vehicle into the yard in which 
the " stage " was in the habit of bringing up. It 
was at once guessed that an accident had happened, 
and a relief party of three men and a waggon and 
our own horses had already been organized to go to 
the rescue. We did not care to go back ourselves, 
so directed the party to the scene of the accident. 

But the old vehicle had not yet finished its career 
of mischief. A second disaster followed, and this 
time not quite of such a harmless character. It 
appeared that the men took with them the fore- 
wheels, and made them fast to the after-part of the 
carriage. They then tried to bring the patched-up 
wreck into town on its own wheels. Allick, our 
driver, went inside with two others, whilst George, 
— a noted Jehu and our future guide, — handled the 
"lines." This time the hind-wheels took to run- 
ning sideways, and in a very few minutes the trap 
was capsized. Away bolted the horses, dragging 
the stage on its top; the unfortunate occupants — 
enclosed as in a box — ^-were only set free when 
the edifice was completely smashed up. Allick 
had his head broken and face cut, and gave a most 
amusing description of his sensations when being 
dragged, which he said was like " thunder inside 
that there stage," George and the others presented 
very swollen and sanguinary appearances, and were 
for the rest of the evening objects of unusual in- 
terest to the bar-loungers of the wretched little 
hotel. 

We had found this " house " crowded to excess, 
and were scarcely able to get one room for the two 
of us. Special assizes were being held for the trial 



360 Wanderings in the Western Land. 

of some " shooting cases/' wliicli had lately occurred 
in this, the Mariposa county. These so-called 
" shooting cases " are really murders, and often of 
the very worst description. In these parts they 
appear to be of terrible frequency, and a disgrace to 
the country. What could be more cold-blooded and 
barbarous than the case which was now being tried ? 
And as the evidence was so circumstantial and 
peculiarly conclusive, I will venture to give an out- 
line of it, illustrative, as it is, of the state of society 
here. Two farmers, or ranchemen, lived within a 
few miles of each other. The one, an old Scotchman, 
by name Patterson, a settler of many years' stand- 
ing, had reared a family out here, and bore an 
excellent character. The other, a young man from 
Kansas, called Clow, had come to the neighbouring 
ranche two years ago, and was evidently of that 
rough type which is reported to be pretty numerous 
in Kansas. It appeared that the latter envied Pat- 
terson's ranche, and "jumped the liens " of some 
little piece of ground which Patterson had lately 
taken in. Clow seemed to have already tried to 
pick a quarrel with Patterson, and had on one occa- 
sion savagely assaulted him with "knuckle-dusters," 
for which he had been fined. A few months ago 
the old Scotchman's wife died, and left him alone 
with a lot of young children. Very shortly after 
this sad event his body was found with a rifle-ball 
through it. The shot had come from behind, and 
struck him down whilst riding on his own farm. 
Clow's horse was tracked to where the shot was 
fired from. The ball was extracted from the body, 
and found to be from a Remington rifle. An 
empty cartridge-case (called here a " shell ") found 



Mariposa — A trial for mtti'dcr. 361 

close by, was also of the Remington pattern, and 
on it was a peculiar mark, as if there had been 
something wi^ong with the extractor. Only two 
men in the county had Remington rifles, Clow and 
another man. This other individual was proved 
to have been many miles away that day from 
the scene of the murder. There could, therefore, 
be but little doubt that it was Clow's rifle that had 
fired the fatal shot. But, as if to make doubly 
clear and beyond the smallest doubt that this was 
so, the extractor of Clow's rifle on being examined 
was found to be out of repair, and to mark the 
cartridge-cases precisely like that picked up. I 
went to hear a part of the trial, and when I was 
there the prisoner, a most unprepossessing young 
man, happened to be undergoing cross-examination 
by the prosecuting lawyer on this particular part of 
the evidence. He was sitting down, picking his 
teeth, by the side of his lawyer, apparently quite at 
his ease, and answering the questions at his leisure. 
But even a Californian jury could not ignore such 
evidence. They were obliged to find Clow guilty of 
murder of the first degree; but having, in this 
county, the power of determining the sentence as 
well as of finding the verdict, they did not sentence 
him to be hanged, but to penitentiary for life, which, 
I am told, is very often commuted after a few 
years have expired. If one may judge by the 
frequency of crimes of violence, this tendency to 
indiscriminate leniency has a disastrous effect on 
the state of society. I was told that in this little 
county, with a population by last census of 4,572 
inhabitants, there have been no less than ten mur- 
ders by shooting in the last three months. The 



362 Wanderings in the Western Land. 

sentences have been invariably light, not a single 
individual having been hanged (or "tightened hemp," 
as Allick familiarly termed it) ; and it is doubtful 
whether the sentence on this occasion would have 
been as heavy as it was, had not the continual fees 
of $750 (150/.) to the prosecuting lawyer for each 
case, besides other expenses, appealed to the pockets 
of the ratepayers. From what I heard I believe 
that life must be safer and certainly far more agree- 
able amongst the rough but hearty western cow- 
punchers than in this old-settled part of the 
country. Violent deaths seem indeed to be fear- 
fully common here ; on passing a graveyard, Allick 
casually remarked " that very few boys lay there but 
had turned up their toes in their boots," i. e. had 
been killed. 

The general appearance of the court in which the 
assize was being held was anything but dignified 
or impressive to English eyes. I certainly believe 
that the absence of all distinctive costumes, and 
of the outward signs of the majesty of the law, 
detracts from the calm dignity which a court of 
justice should possess. Judge, jury, counsels, 
prisoner, witnesses, sheriffs, and sheriffs' officers 
were here all arrayed alike, in ordinary dark 
clothing. The only thing that distinguished the 
judge was his somewhat isolated j)Osition. No 
constables, or peace officers of any sort, were 
distinguishable. All police work is done by the 
sheriff, who can swear in whom he likes to assist 
him in the execution of his duties. No staves or 
weapons of any sort were visible, but probably 
there was in that court many a loaded six-shooter 
reposing quietly in that purposely-made pocket at 



Mariposa — A trial for murder. 363 

the back of tlie trousers, and ready for use on the 
slightest provocation. 

On our return from the Yosemite the trial had 
just been concluded and the jury had found their 
verdict. The place was in a great state of excite- 
ment, for a report had gone abroad that the pri- 
soner was to be rescued from the gaol that very 
night by a secret society called the " Rangers' Asso- 
ciation," of which he was a member. So serious 
was the position considered that the sheriff swore 
in a quantity of citizens, who had during the night 
to patrol around the prison walls, armed with six- 
shooters. 

Our little inn had afforded accommodation to 
many of those closely concerned in the trial, for 
besides some of the jury, and counsel, the prisoner's 
wife and children lodged here, and were present at 
the public meals. When the sentence was made 
known, the hat was sent round for their benefit, in 
which proceeding the jury themselves seemed to 
take a great interest, and apparently subscribed 
liberally. 

There seemed to exist here a general inclination of 
antagonism to the law and of sympathy with the 
prisoner, but the sheriff is armed with such un- 
limited powers that such feelings seldom assume 
any outward form of opposition. 

But, it would seem that the general system of 
appointments to the American courts of justice is 
very ill calculated to result in the employment of 
the most learned and upright men, if it is true, as 
I was told, that the judges, except of the very 
highest courts, are elected for a certain term, and 
that they need not even have had the training of 



364 Wanderings in the Western Land. 

lawyers. In consequence of this the appointments 
are frequently both unsuitable and corrupt. Rumour 
says that political tailors have been appointed "right 
away " from their boards, for services rendered to 
government " bosses." Some of their worships' 
after-proceedings have been worthy of their training, 
and have not contributed to the " punishment of 
wickedness and vice," or to the dignity of the bench. 
The stories of judges are almost as numerous and 
incredible as the bear stories, but I cannot help 
giving one, which I believe to be worthy of credence, 
of a judge who had a very lofty idea of his own 
legal capacity, and was at the same time anxious to 
sustain the dignity of his court. A " shooting case " 
came before him ; there was no direct evidence as 
to the perpetrator of the murder, but the individual 
was well known, and indeed confessed it. When 
brought into court his worship cautioned the pri- 
soner not to commit himself; that he must re- 
member his rights as a free citizen, &c., &c., and 
that above all things he must not interrupt the 
proceedings of the court. After this friendly warn- 
ing, the judge proceeded to state that he, the 
prisoner, was accused of having on such a date 
shot the deceased. Whereupon the prisoner broke 
in, " Well, and so I did." The judge was indignant 
at the interruption. " Hold your tongue, sir ; 
haven't I told you not to commit yourself nor to in- 
terrupt me? I shall commit you for contempt of 
court if you do so again." He then repeated the 
accusation, upon which the prisoner again broke in, 
" I have told you before that I did kill — ." Upon 
this second interruption, the judge's indignation 
was very intense. " Mr. Sheriff, what is your 



American Lazu Courts — A jitdicial ruling. 365 

evidence?" "I liave nothing but circumstantial 
evidence, your honour, and the prisoner's own con- 
fession." " Then," said the judge, " I discharge 
the prisoner on this charge, but commit him for 
contempt of court!" I was told this by a most 
respectable gentleman, absurd and improbable as it 
may seem to us ; and many such stories are rife 
in the Western States, and are generally credited. 



CHAPTER XVII. 

" Per invias rupes, fera per juga, 
Clivosque jH-seruptos, sonantes 
Inter aquas, nemorumque iioctem." 

Gray's Poems, "Alcaic Ode on Neiglihourliood 
of the Grande Chartreuse." 

Start from Mariposa — Vexatious delays — Eoute — Hite's Mine — 
A romantic story — Change of vegetation — Dr. Brewer's report 
— A lovely evening — Clarke's Eanche — Late arrival — The 
Mariposa Big Trees — Nature's Arboretum — Colossal growths 
— "Cockney" practices — Probable age — Piide into the valley 
— Snow once more — A lucky shot — My bag — Better weather 
— "Inspiration Point" — Magnificent view — "Quite a stone" 
— The Valley — Liedig's Hotel— A doubtful pleasure — The 
Yosemite Pall— Back tracks — Frisco once more. 

I WAS not sorry to leave Mariposa and its abnormal 
excitement and to be once more on the move for 
tlie Yosemite. From here we bad to travel on 
borseback, as it was not considered advisable to go 
any further on wheels, and in consequence of our 
half-bred guide, George Munro, having been hurt 
in last night's accident, it was late in the morning 
before the horses were ready and we were fairly 
under way. 

Our road at first lay down a valley, the alluvial 
gravel of which seemed to have undergone many 
washings for gold. Then we turned easterly to- 
wards the range, of which we crossed three or four 



Hite^s Mine — A roinantic story — Vegetation. 367 

spurs or ridges in the day's ride, and passed the 
small trail which leads by Kite's mine into the valley. 
Kite's mine is a large and prosperous quartz under- 
taking owned and worked by a single individual. 
There is a curious and romantic story attached to it. 
It is said that many years ago, when the present 
owner was a lad, he met with an accident whilst 
hunting which incapacitated him from moving. 
Ke was found by an Indian woman, who took him 
to her lodge, and nursed him until he was well. 
Then she showed him the very rich quartz vein, 
on which the present mine is sunk. Out of grati- 
tude he married her, and they lived together very 
happily until she died. This event only happened 
a short time ago, and the man's experience of the 
family was such that he has since taken her sister 
to wife. 

As the day wore on we gradually attained a 
much higher elevation and found a marked 
difference in the forest trees. Oak and small 
conifers had given way to grand cedars (many over 
100 feet high), Douglas Spruce, and that magni- 
ficent and most striking perhaps of all the pines, 
the sugar pine (pinus Lambertiana) which I now 
saw for the first time. Its stately stem some- 
times reaches to eighty feet without a branch, 
and enormous yellow cones hang down from the 
horizontal limbs like golden bunches of fruit, 
striking with admiration and wonder even a 
casual observer like myself. As the reader will 
probably have found out long ago, I am sadly 
ignorant about trees. I admire them none the less, 
and as it may be of interest to some to have a good 
authoritative account of this, one of nature's most 



368 Wanderings in the Western Land. 

celebrated arboreta, I will quote a description given 
in the Government Survey of California, 1860 — 1864 
(vol. i. p. 335), the botanical department of which 
was under the charge of Dr. Brewer. Speaking of 
this western slope of the Sierra Nevada Range, he 
says,— 

" The great forest belt of the mountain, however 
lies higher" (i. e. than the foothills), " at an eleva- 
tion of from 4,000 to 7,000 feet above the sea. Of 
this belt all the most conspicuous trees belong to 
the family of the coniferse, and the forests of this 
region, as well as their continuation along the coast 
further north, are unsurpassed, and probably un- 
equalled in grandeur by those of any other part of 
the world. Ten or twelve species occur, but the 
principal effect is produced by eight of them, all of 
which attain at times a diameter of over six feet 
and a height of over 200, while several are often 
over 250 and some as much as 300 feet high. 
These species are sugar pine {pinus Lamhertiana), 
pitch pine (pinus ponderosa)^ and pitch pine (jnniis 
Jeffreyi), bastard cedar {librocedriis decitrreiis) , 
Douglas spruce (ahies Douglasii), three different 
sorts of firs (picea grandis, p. mnahilis, and p. 
nobilis), pinus co7itorta, p. Balfouriana and p. 
tuberculata. Two or three species of fir and 
spruce, besides those named before, also occur, 
but are not among the common and conspicuous 
trees. Of these species the sugar pine is the 
grandest tree. It occurs at all altitudes between 
3,000 and 6,000 feet, but attains its greatest dimen- 
sions between 4,000 and 5,000 feet, when it is fre- 
quently 300 feet high. Its trunk is perfectly 
straight, its head symmetrical, and from the slightly 



The Forest groivth of the Sierra Nevada. 369 

drooping ends of the horizontal branches the 
enormous cones hang down in bunches of two or 
three, Hke tassels. One tree measured by us was 
found to be 300 feet high, without a flaw or curve 
in its trunk, and only seven feet in diameter at the 
base. These forests are rather open, the trees 
being seldom densely aggregated; and owing to 
the dryness of the air, their trunks are very free 
from mosses and lichens. As we go higher on the 
sides of the mountain, among the forests we find 
the pines decreasing in number, wliile firs are con- 
stantly becoming more abundant. Picea nohilis 
is the predominating species at 7,000 to 7,500 feet. 
All the species of firs which are found here are very 
beautiful. They all attain a large size, are very 
symmetrical in their growth, and have a very dark 
green and brilliant foliage, which is very fragrant. 
The branches are often very regularly and pri- 
mately divided, producing a most brilliant effect. 
The colour of the sky is perceptibly darker, as seen 
through this peculiar foliage raised in a canopy so 
high above the observer." 

Although the foregoing technical and scientific 
description refers properly to another part of the 
western slope of the Sierra Nevada Range, namely 
Mount Shusta, yet it so clearly describes the forest 
growth passed through on the way into the Yose- 
mite, and recalls so vividly that charming ride, 
that it could not have been more applicable had it 
been written of this special locality. The beauty of 
the views from the ridges, embracing miles of dark 
foliage stretching to the plains beyond, and termi- 
nating only with the distant mountain ranges, must 
be seen to be understood. The colourino^ of the 

B b 



o/" 



Wanderings in the Western Land. 



landscape on that lovely eveuing was enchanting, 
and such as I had never seen before ; it ranged 
from the almost black green of the timber-covered 
foreground to a light cobalt on the far-distant 
mountains, each tint so striking in itself, yet so 
toned down by nature's delicate hand as to be 
deliciously soft and harmonious as a whole. Gladly 
would I have lingered over the more beautiful 
points of view, but the shades of evening were 
already beginning to creep on us, and George kept 
on croaking of the distance we had still to " make " 
before the " Big Tree Station " was reached. 

And George had some reason, for it was dark 
before we arrived at Clark's Ranche, notwithstanding 
that we had taken advantage of the " down grade " 
of the last few miles, and made it at a good " lope." 

Although still called " a ranche," this establish- 
ment has long ceased to be mainly concerned with 
agriculture. Clark himself exists no longer, at any 
rate in this locality; that individual sold his in- 
terests many years ago to Messrs. Washbourne, who 
"run the stage," and are now the "bosses of the 
route " between this and Merced. The ranche is 
now a small but comfortable and roomy inn, and 
during the tourists' season is often filled to overflow- 
ing- 

Besides having constructed the twenty-five miles 

of capital road hence into the Yosemite Valley, 
Messrs. Washbourne are again showing their enter- 
prise by making a road direct to Merced, the object 
of which is to save thirty miles over the present 
Mariposa route. 

The weather was so threatening, and a fall of 
snow seemed so imminent, that we meant to have 



The Mariposa Big Tree Grove. 371 

pushed on into the valley the next day, but, un- 
fortunately, my companion was so fatigued with 
yesterday's ride that we had to rest a whole day 
here. This we employed in a very satisfactory 
manner by making a longer visit to the far-famed 
Mariposa Big Tree Grove than we had intended. 

I will not say that I was disappointed with these 
monsters ; it is difficult to be so with such colossal 
productions of nature, but I do think that from the 
position in which they are placed one fails to take 
in at first their extraordinary proportions. This 
arises, no doubt, from the trees around, to which 
the eye is at once attracted, being themselves so 
gigantic. The neighbouring sugar pines and cedars 
are truly magnificent, and of such extraordinary 
height that they would be considered wonders any- 
where else, and this marvellous growth applies to all 
the other forest trees of this peculiar locality. 

As is generally known, the scientific name of these 
giants is " Sequoia Gigantea;" the substantive in 
honour, it is said, of a chief of the Cherokee tribe of 
Indians who first endeavoured to educate his people ; 
the adjective is apparently varied from "Gigantea" 
to " Wellingtonia," and " Washingtonia," it may be 
to suit the different nationalities of tourists. The 
number of Big Trees in this, the Mariposa Grove, is 
said to be 600. In the King's River Grove, further 
to the south in this same State, and situated about 
6,000 or 7,000 feet above the sea, the trees are not 
so thick, but extend over a far greater area. The 
Mariposa Grove must be at about a like elevation, 
for the ascent from Clark's Ranche is considerable, 
and the ranche itself is 5,500 feet above sea level. 

On the size of the trees I cannot speak from my 
B b 2 



372 Wanderings in the Wester ji Land. 

own measurements. I can only say that I rode 
easily tlirougli the stem of one of them, an archway 
having been burnt through it, and that I was told, 
on undoubted authority, that one which had fallen 
down in the King's River Grove measured 450 feet 
in length, and that my informant was able to ride 
upright along through a portion of the stem which 
had been hollowed out by fire, until he came to a 
knot which had fallen out, and through the hole thus 
formed he had passed out again into the open air ! 
In the Government Survey of California it is stated 
that a big tree in King's River Grove measured 106 
feet in circumference at the base, but that it was 
partially burnt, so that the original circumference 
must have been 115 or 120 feet ! This tree was not 
more than 276 feet high, which is less than might 
have been expected from such an enormous girth. 
But so many have borne testimony to the colossal 
size of these giants, that no doubt can exist thereon, 
and I will give no more dry details. 

The stem of the sequoia grows straight and thick, 
and is covered with a reddish velvety fibrous-like 
bark. It is sometimes 100 feet or more before the 
branches begin to show, and these have the appear- 
ance of being puny and stunted, and quite out of 
proportion with the sturdy solidity of the stem. 
Many of the trees have been greatly damaged by fire, 
originated probably by carelessness. The finest speci- 
men of this grove is a tree called the " Grizzly Giant," 
a picturesque old fellow with grotesque withered 
branches, sprawling about like ungainly arms. It is 
stated to be 100 feet in circumference at the base ! 

A wretched cockney-like habit prevails of labelling 
with fancy names these splendid growths, just as if 
they were show potatoes or turnips produced by 



The Mariposa Big Tree Grove. i'] 



01 o 



some would-be famous manure. Nailed on to the 
grand old giants are flat wliite boards, on which are 
painted such names as " Caroline," " Andrew John- 
son," " The Fallen Monarch " (the two last have 
fallen), " The Faithful Couple " (a tree which is split 
into two a short way up), &c. &c. Visiting 
cards are also often affixed, and names cut into the 
bark, still further disfiguring the grand old stems. 
Now that the grove is the property of the State 
and possesses regular custodians, it seems strange 
that this bad taste should be allowed to exercise 
itself. It certainly mars the enjoyment of nature's 
works to have miserable placards staring you in 
the face at every turn, a practice which prevails to 
a still greater extent at Niagara, where advertise- 
ments of wonderful oils and successful pills are 
painted on the face of the splendid cliffs and rocks. 

All the giant trees I saw here appear to be past 
their prime, and becoming rapidly withered and 
rotten. There seemed moreover to be a great want 
of a young stock to take their places. Whether this 
is really so I was unable to ascertain, but the Govern- 
ment Report of California (vol. i. p. 444) speaking 
of another part of the State, says that there (near 
Visalia) " specimens of it (the ' Big Tree ') may be 
found in every stage of growth, and the smaller ones 
are sawn up for lumber at Thomas's Mill, above 
Yisalia." As to the age of the present giants, one 
was cut down in the Calaveras Grove, which, at six 
feet from the ground — where it measured twenty- 
three feet in diameter inside the bark — had 1255 
annual rings, with a decayed centre of about one 
foot through, so that it is safe to assume this tree 
was at least 1300 years old ! 

The next day, my companion being recovered 



74 



Wanderin^rs in the Western Land. 



sufficiently from his fatigue, we made an early start 
in the first rain I have encountered since I left 
Canada, and a thorough downpour it was. However, 
if we did not reach the valley before there was a 
fall of snow we might not be able to get there at all, 
so we determined on pushing on. As we got higher 
on the mountain-side, the rain gradually became 
snow, until I was once more in a white world. But 
a little luck was awaiting us to cheer our drooping 
spirits. We sighted a herd of deer, and by a lucky 
shot with a ball out of a smooth bore from the 
road I killed a perfect little buck. It was fortunate 
that I had brought a gun with me, for on my 
way up to Clark's I got some specimens of that 
beautiful little bird the Californian mountain 
quail. Whether the buck I now killed was a black- 
tail or white-tail I have been unable to find out. 
George, our guide and no mean hunter for these 
parts, said he was a white-tail, and undoubtedly he 
was much smaller than any black-tail I had seen 
before. His head, however, appeared to me to be 
more of the black-tail type, though very diminutive, 
and I am inclined to think he was a veritable black- 
tail. I soon " gralloched " the little animal, and 
with George's assistance hung him up in a tree to 
abide our return. 

As this completes the bag of my tour, I may as 
well, although perhaps somewhat out of place, jot 
the total down. 



Moose. 


Cariboo. 


Buffalo. 


Wapiti. 


Deer. 


Antelope. 


Puma. 


Bear. 


1 


1 


Bulls. 
4 


Stags. 
7 


Hinds. 
2 


3 


10 


1 1 



Besides a certain quantity of small game. 



Good luck — First view of the Yosonitd. 375 

Had I been able to add to the above a good moun- 
tain ram I should have been more satisfied, but I 
suppose a gunner is like a farmer, who is always 
said to be happier with a grumble, and I must con- 
fess, from all I have since heard, and considering 
the quality of my specimens, that in my case regrets 
are ungrateful. 

To resume our ride ; the snow became deeper and 
deeper as we approached the summit of the divide 
above the Yosemite, which is 6,000 feet above the sea 
level, but our hearts were soon lightened by the 
breaking of the clouds, and a cessation of the steady 
downfall. By the time we got to " Inspiration 
Point," from which the first view of the Yosemite is 
obtained, the weather had taken up, and it was 
tolerably fine and clear. 

I could not describe this magnificent view if I 
would ; let that be for others capable of putting into 
language one of the finest ^^ coujps-dJoeil^^ known to 
man, one of those which remain impressed on the 
mind ever afterwards. I was really half lost in 
wonder and admiration of the scene before me, it was 
so far beyond what I had anticipated, so extraordi- 
narilygrand, and stupendous. Some words expressive 
of my wonder at the deep gorge below me must have 
escaped my lips, for my reverie was interrupted by, 
"Yes, sirree, quite a dig out, I guess," coming from 
the laconic George. What a view it was ! Hundreds 
of feet below us was spread out the park-like bed of 
the valley, here not more than half-a-mile across, in 
which luxuriated masses of magnificent specimens of 
rare conifers, rhododendrons, flowering shrubs, &c., 
&c., amongst which wound the sparkling little Merced 
stream. Beyond rose the gigantic mass of grey 



2,^6 Wanderi7igs in the Westeini Land. 

granite called " El Capitan," presenting a perpen- 
dicular face of 3,300 feet, and over a mile in lengtli 
(" quite a stone " according to the irrepressible 
George). On tlie same side, further up the caiion, 
were the cliffs called the " Three Brothers," over 
3,800 feet out of the vallej^ Then to the right, on 
the same side as ourselves, rose up in succession 
the " Three Graces," 3,750 feet, the serrated points 
called the "Cathedral Spires," 2,660 feet; the 
isolated perpendicular crag called " The Sentinel," 
over 3,000 feet, and further oif the grand rounded 
mass of the " South " or " Half Dome," the latter 
considerably over 4,000 feet. But the highest moun- 
tain of all lies beyond, and is said to be 5,700 feet 
above the valley, and possesses the appropriate and 
euphonic name of the " Cloud's Rest." 

" Mountains, on whose barren breast 
The labouring clouds do often rest." 

After enjoying this charming view as long as we 
could, we trotted at a good pace down the well- 
engineered road into the valley, where we were soon 
surrounded with an almost southern vegetation, 
although we were still over 4,000 feet above the sea. 
The surface of the bottom of the glen appeared 
like a well-kept pleasure-ground. It was clothed 
with a soft velvety turf, studded all over with rhodo- 
dendrons, white and evergreen oaks {quercus lohata 
and crassijponta), magnificent pitch pines {jpinus 
jwjiderosa and Jeffreiji), cedars, cottonwood (a sort 
of poplar like the Balm of Gilead), and many other 
trees and shrubs of which I had no knowledge. 

We had just time to admire the frozen Fall of the 
" Bridal Veil," with its unbroken descent of over 600 



In the Yosemitc — Licdig's Hotel. 377 

feet, when tlie liglit began to wane, and we were 
obliged to push on to save the brief twihght for our 
ride to Liedig's Hotel, under the " Sentinel Rock." 

Our host was glad enough to see us, for tourists 
are very scarce commodities at this time of the year, 
and he determined to celebrate our arrival by 
exploding a dynamite cartridge, that we might at 
the same time enjoy the grand echoes. These were 
doubtless extraordinary, but I. am free to confess I 
would rather have gone away without hearing them 
than have experienced the anxiety of mind, and real 
risk to body, which preceded the pleasure. It 
appeared that the large dynamite (or " hercules 
powder") cartridge had frozen, and had to be 
"thawed," which operation was performed under 
the stove of our sitting-room ! In vain I expostu- 
lated, pointing out the imminent danger of its 
exploding and blowing ourselves and the house into 
little pieces. Not a bit of use ; our host was as 
obstinate as a mule, and would have it. There he 
sat, surrounded with his children, watching the 
thawing process, and occasionally feeling the cart- 
ridge with his fingers to see if it was mastic enough 
to allow of the percussion-fuse being inserted. Glad 
was I when he pronounced it sufficiently soft, and 
departed with it to the scene of action. A few 
minutes later we heard a loud explosion, followed by 
reverberation after reverberation from the surround- 
ing crags and precipices, a joyful announcement to 
us that all further risk was over. 

The next morning broke damp and hazy, but the 
clouds gradually lifted, and we were able before 
starting on our ride back to Clark's to see a little of 
the valley beyond the " Sentinel," in which is the 



2,7 8 lVa}ide7'i?igs in the Western Land. 

famous Yosemite Fall. This waterfall is 2,550 feet 
high, 1,500 feet of which is a perpendicular cliute 
before a ledge of rock is struck by the water. Then 
comes over 600 feet of cascades, and then a final 
plunge of 400 feet into the river below. This 
year all the water in the valley, except the main 
stream, is frozen over, and snow lies thick on the 
tops, with a fair sprinkling in the valley below. We 
saw these wonders therefore under peculiar and 
exceptional circumstances, and whether for the better 
or the worse it is difficult to say. 

We had thought of leaving the valley by the 
Hite's Mine route, but it was deemed wiser, on 
account of the threatening aspect of the weather, 
to abandon this plan, and to take the same route 
back, leaving everything we could do without at 
Clark's, to be picked up on our return. We had 
venison steaks to-night for supper off the little buck 
killed on our way into the valley, and which we had 
l^acked home on one of the bronchos. 

An uneventful but somewhat tedious journey by 
the same route brought us back to our old quarters 
at San Francisco, which, however, I had so very soon 
again to leave on my homeward journey. 



CHAPTER XVIII. 

" Of monies, and gold and silver." 

" Merry Wives of Windsor," Shalspere. 

A Chapter on Mining — Off for the Comstock — The Carson Valley 
—Virginia City— The "Boss of the Bonanza "—The Com- 
stock Ledge — General character — The Consolidated Virginia 

and California Mines — Excessive heat — Impurity of Water 

Extensive output — Great value— The Miners— Wages — Cost 
of Living— Cornishmen— The Irish element —A determined 

Fenian — " Shrewd withal " — Boring Machines— Blasting 

Timbering — Wonderfid Consumption — " Flumes " — Cost of 
Fuel — The Ore— Assay contents — Cost of " Getting " — After- 
treatment — Stamping — Amalgamation — Eefining— Discovery 
of Quicksilver — Bullion Production— Virginia Consolidated 
and California Mine Accounts — Balance Sheets — Management 

— The Sutro Tunnel — Objects— Difficulties — Future Value 

Prospects — Baron Eichthofen — The Heat Question. 

My great object now, before turning homewards, was 
to see something of the mining " adventures " on the 
world-famed Comstock Lode of Nevada, and as this 
chapter must contain much of interest only to those 
who may care about such technical matters, I must 
forewarn the general reader and suggest liberal 
skipping. 

Through the courtesy of Dr. Price, the well-known 
assayer and mining engineer at San Francisco, I 
was soon provided with letters to Mr. Mackay and 
other gentlemen at Virginia city, where are located 



380 Wanderings in the Western Land. 

the headquarters of the main workings on this 
lode. 

The journey of 346 miles from San Francisco was 
made in sixteen hours, by steamer up the bay to 
Vallejo, and then by rail for the rest of the dis- 
tance, the main line being left at Reno. 

The approach to Virginia city is up the barren, 
dreary-looking valley of the Carson. Steep and bare 
mountain-sides rise up from the margin of the little 
stream, along the side of which the railway winds 
its snake-like course. Groups of flimsy, uncomfort- 
able-looking houses denoted where mineral wealth 
had been discovered, and mining camps had been 
formed. Virginia city, which came into existence 
about 1859, and now contains over 20,000 inhabi- 
tants, is strikingly situated on the eastern slope of a 
huge mass of syenite called Mount Davidson, the 
summit of which is 2,000 feet above the city, and 
nearly 8,000 feet above the sea. The surrounding 
country bears unmistakable signs of volcanic origin, 
and is wild, bleak, and destitute of vegetation. 

On arrival I lost no time in presenting my letter 
to Mr. Mackay, locally called the " boss of the big 
bonanza," who is the resident partner and manager 
of the Consolidated Virginia and California Mines. 
He most kindly asked me to visit these under- 
takings under his own personal guidance, and I 
quickly came to the conclusion that I could not 
have seen things under more favourable conditions ; 
for Mr. Mackay was not only the " boss," but had 
the intimate knowledge of details of a manager of 
each separate department. 

This celebrated Comstock Lode or " Ledge," called 
after one of its earliest " prospectors," or discoverers. 



Virginia City — The Comstock Lode. 381 

seems to be a " fissure vein," that is, a fissure or 
rent in tlie older formation, which has been filled by 
a more recent and ore-bearing rock. Tn this case the 
fining matter is a sort of porphyry called " propylite," 
which in appearance resembles much our Cornish 
" elvan." To adopt the local term, the "ledge" 
varies considerably in thickness, sometimes being as 
much as 700 feet wide (not half of it, however, being 
metalliferous), sometimes it narrows to less than 
seventy feet. I have seen it stated that as a general 
rule it narrows with depth, that is, that the two 
sides of the fissure approach each other as the depth 
increases. The gangue or vein-matter is quartz. 
The length of the ledge is stated as about three and 
a half miles, and on it are located about twenty-one 
mining sets, varying in extent from 3,325 feet, which 
belongs to the Sierra Nevada Mining Company, to 
ninety-three feet, which is the property of the Ken- 
tuck Company. The richest sets are those of the 
Consolidated Virginia and California, which measure 
together between 1,300 and 1,400 feet. The pro- 
ductive portion of the ledge is comparatively small, 
as barren portions of great extent intervene between 
the "bonanzas," or ore bodies, or bunches. It is 
said that the " bunches " as a general rule become 
smaller as they get deeper, and their composition 
more " rebellious " to treat, but of this I heard per- 
sonally no confirmation. The strike of the ledge is 
nearly due north and south, it dips to the eastward at 
an angle of from 38° to 45°. But the "foot" and 
" hanging walls " have a few inches of a sort of clay 
slate between them and what is termed the " country 
rock." 

Of frequent occurrence in the ledge are what are 
locally called"horses;"thesearewedge-shaped masses 



o 



82 Wanderings in the Western Land. 



of soft, practically-barren, porpbyritic rock, supposed 
to have been detached from the hanging wall, between 
which there often occur belts of metalliferous quartz. 
A piece of the " horse rock " I brought up gave by 
analysis 4*3 ozs. of silver per ton. A piece of the 
soapy clay rock yielded I'l oz. of silver, and both 
had traces of gold, thus testifying to the extraordi- 
nary way in which even the adjoining rocks are 
impregnated with the precious metals. 

The ledge is won at the Consolidated Virginia by 
a vertical shaft sunk to the eastward in the 
"country" rock, from which drifts or cross-cuts are 
driven at different levels to cut the ledge. At this 
present time the lowest of these is 1,750 feet from 
surface. The shaft down which I descended would 
strike the ledge, it is said, at about 2,400 feet from 
surface, but it would only be continued down in the 
event of the ore bodies continuing to prove profit- 
able to the deep. At present it stands at about the 
1,750 feet level. 

We got out of the cage, in which we had been 
expeditiously and smoothly lowered, at the 1,650 
feet level, and here Mr. Mackay handed me over 
to one of the " captains " to show me all I wanted 
to see. Proceeding to some of the working ends I 
found the heat intense, far greater than was to be 
accounted for merely by the depth from surface. I 
have little doubt the excess of heat is occasioned by 
the chemical decomposition of the iron pyrites by 
water. I had no thermometer with me, so could not 
take the temperature, but I have seen it stated to be 
100° to 120°. My own impression was that it was at 
least 120° (Fahrenheit). The men seemed to feel 
it considerably, judging from their general appear- 



The Consolidated Virginia and California Mines. 383 

ance, and by the scarcity of their clothing. In 
their endeavours to cool their hands and throats 
as much as ten tons of ice are consumed per day. 

The mine water is too impure to be used for any 
purposes. The boilers and condensing engines have 
in consequence to be supplied with the water of the 
town, which is brought thirty-five miles in iron pipes. 
In order to economize it as far as practicable, that 
employed for condensing is cooled, after use, in large 
reservoirs, from which it is pumped back to serve 
again and again. 

The mass of solid ore which is being operated 
upon is quite astounding. There appeared to be 
regular " faces " or " breasts " of it, much as if it was 
a vein of coal instead of bunches of ore. And this 
is the chief secret of the Comstock wealth ; it is the 
enormous quantity of ore which is worked, more even 
than its richness. Over 1,200 tons of ore of an 
average value of about $45 to $50 (9Z. to 10?.) per 
ton are said to be the daily output of these two 
mines, the Consolidated Virginia and California. 
We thus have 12,000/. as the value sent daily to sur- 
face to go to the credit of these fortunate adven- 
turers ! The ore varies much in value, some of it 
is as low as $15 or $20 (3/. or 4/.) per ton, but 
some again reaches $85 to $90 (17/. to 18/.), and I 
was given the foregoing as a fair average value as it 
comes from the mine without any " dressing " or 
preparation of any kind. 

To produce this large quantity, about 900 miners 
are employed, who work in shifts of eight hours each, 
and continuously from week's end to week's end with- 
out cessation. The accidents of all sorts are said to 
average one a day, of which one-fifth are fatal. The 



384 Wanderings in the Western Land. 

working miner earns on an average about %\\ (l^s-) 
a day, but tempting as these wages may sound to 
the ears of our own poor fellows in these bad times, 
there are many expenses, drawbacks, and incon- 
veniences from which they are exempt. Amongst 
these may be mentioned houses, which I believe are 
scarce, dear, and bad, and the excessive cost of many 
of the ordinary commodities of life. Tea is some- 
times 6s. per lb., sugar Is. per lb., salt A^d. or hd. 
per lb., and all articles of clothing and bedding are 
enormously dear. Fortunately amongst the expen- 
sive goods are spirits, common rye whiskey, of very 
inferior strength, costing as much as 5.s. per quart. 
Besides these physical there are many social draw- 
backs to be encountered by a respectable miner in 
his every-day life, more especially should he have a 
family to care for. 

The majority of the miners are Cornish, and I 
am happy to say that they seem to be more appre- 
ciated here than in Colorado, where a certain 
jealousy and ill-feeling exist towards them for 
having, as it is asserted, brought down the rate of 
wages. The Irish element seems to be both large 
and prosperous. The captain who took me into 
the " ends " was of this nationality, and with so 
strong a Fenian tendency that he could not help 
holding forth immediately on the wrongs of his 
down-trodden native land. His chief instance of 
oppression was that at the time of the famine so 
many fowls had been sent to England. I suggested 
to him that the money paid for them came back into 
the country to buy bread for the peasants who had 
voluntarily sold them. But of no avail ; he insisted 
the fowls ought to have been kept and consumed at 



Underground at Virginia City. 3S5 

home, and not sent to feed the hated Saxon. In his 
own callmg he was a well-informed, shrewd, practical 
fellow, and I was much amused at his opinion of a 
common acquaintance, who was in the habit of hold- 
ing forth learnedly on mining matters. " Mr. 

knows a good deal about mines, doesn't he ?" I in- 
quired. " Ah, faith, he just knows enough to lose 
his money," was the brief but telling response. 

But to return to the mine. Ingersoll's and Bur- 
leigh's rock-boring machines are extensively used; 
both are highly spoken of, though the former, I am 
told, is the favourite. The " shooting " (blasting) 
is done with what is here called " No. 3, giant 
powder," a sort of slow dynamite which is quicker 
and less violent in its action than black powder. 
On this account there is less chance of loss through 
the scattering of small bits of ore amongst the heavy 
timbering, &c. 

The ore being of such great value, all the 
ore-bearing portion of the ledge has to be taken 
out clean. Large cavities are thus formed, which 
have to be " timbered," and the following solid and 
costly system has to be adopted : Heavy logs, twelve 
and fourteen inches square, laid horizontally, are 
morticed together in a rectangular form with very 
strong vertical posts, about seven feet, sometimes 
only five feet, apart, and the space thus enclosed 
is filled up and made as solid as practicable with 
waste material from the mine. Notwithstanding this 
exceptionally strong timbering, a "crush " will some- 
times take place within a very few months, and 
great difliculty is often experienced in keeping the 
places open even for the short time requii'ed to 
fetch the ore out. I am told that eighty thousand 

c c 



386 Wanderings in the Western Land. 

feet of timber are supplied daily to these two mioes. 
As may be imagined, the mountain-sides, far and 
wide, have been denuded of every stick to meet the 
requirements. Even the roots and stumps have 
disappeared, having been grubbed up for fuel. The 
present supply is brought from great distances, even 
as far as from the neighbourhood of the famous Lake 
Tahoe, and the eastern range of the Sierras. It is 
brought down in mill races as it were, the water 
being confined between wooden planks, called here 
"flumes," in which flows a sufficient stream to float 
the largest baulks. This wonderful demand has led 
to large companies being formed to supply the 
mines, by "tapping" new and well-timbered dis- 
tricts with flumes and railroads. I am told that 
nearly all is now being cut off Government lands, the 
State receiving a royalty of %\\ (56-.) per acre. 
Considering that most of the land is useless after 
it has been denuded of its natural covering, this 
royalty would appear very low, yet, notwithstanding, 
the wood for fuel costs about $10 (= 2/.) per cord; 
and as it takes 1^ cords to do the work of a ton of 
good coal, it would appear that it costs here 3L to 
get as much steam raised as would be produced 
in many mines in England for about 10^. or 12s. 
This very important item in economical working is 
becoming more and more scarce and costly as the 
distance increases from which it has to be brought. 
And now a few more words about the ore itself, 
and its subsequent treatment. In appearance it 
is a dull grey mass, presenting here and there 
metallic spots. Two pieces I brought up with me 
from the 1,650 feet level in the California mine gave 
by analysis 858*3 ozs. of silver and o7"8 ozs. of 



The Comstock oir, and its aftci'-treatincnt. 387 

gold, and the other 1,122"0 ozs. of silver and 
37*6 ozs. of gold per ton of ore respectively, with 
about 27o of copper. Probably the whole of the 
gold is present as " native," but the silver, besides 
being " native," is in combination with sulphur, 
as silver glance ; with sulphur and antimony, as 
" stephanite " and " ruby silver ;" and with chlorine, 
as " horn silver " and " polybasite." The presence of 
this latter mineral may account for the small amount 
of copper shown in the analysis. 

I am told that the ore costs $18 (== 3/. 12s.) per 
ton, delivered into the amalgamation works from the 
Virginia Consolidated and 23 cents (say \s.) more 
from the California mine ; this slight difference 
arising out of certain law expenses. 

The first process after being delivered from the 
mine into the mill, or works, is pulverising under 
stamps with water until the ore becomes a very 
fine slime or " pulp." The mill I visited was 
driven by steam and contained eighty such stamps, 
each weighing 940 lbs., about \\ horse-power being- 
required for each stamp. 

After passing through vertical sieves of fine wire, 
the slime is run into large pans, in which revolve 
iron arms or fans, requiring eight-horse power to 
drive each set. With the slime is mixed quicksilver, 
copper vitriol (sulphate of copper), common salt, 
and a little soda, and the whole mass is heated by 
steam. Chemical decomposition of the silver com- 
binations takes place, and the well-known affinity 
of metallic gold and silver for quicksilver leads 
them at once to combine and form an amalgam. 

After being strained through blanketing to re- 
cover mechanically as much of the quicksilver as is 

c c 2 



388 Wanderings in the Western Land. 

possible, the amalgam is heated in retorts, when the 
quicksilver is driven off in fumes, which are con- 
densed and collected in the metallic form. 

The residue in the retorts is an impure gold and 
silver mass, which is taken up into the melting-house, 
and run down in graphite pots, capable of containing 
about 3,000 ozs., which is laded into three bars of 
bullion. The value is then stamped on them and 
they are " expressed " by rail to San Francisco, 
where the gold is separated from the silver and 
coined, and the silver is sold as ingots. 

The great advantage of the amalgamation process 
is its extreme simplicity. Its drawbacks are loss of 
quicksilver by volatisation, and loss of that part of 
the produce which cannot be recovered from the 
so-called " tailings." These latter are caught in a 
series of slime-pits, until the assay shows a value 
of not more than $7 or $8 (28s. to 326'.) per ton, 
below which they do not consider it profitable to 
throw back and treat over again. It is possible 
that better produce might be obtained by altera- 
tions and modifications on the existing process, or 
by the substitution of some of the many other well- 
known metallurgical methods for the extraction of 
silver, but whether this would be remunerative is 
another matter, and everything seemed to me to be 
so well managed and considered here, that I have 
very little doubt any improvement of real practical 
value, having regard to local conditions and cir- 
cumstances, would be very speedily adopted. 

The discovery of quicksilver in California has 
been of the utmost importance to these works. It 
costs here now 50 cents (26*.) per lb., and is obtained 
from the sulphuret (" cinnabar "), which has been of 



The Comstock Ledge ^ its great ivealth. 



;89 



late years found in siicli quantities tliat not only is 
the home consumption fully met, but last year over 
46,000 flasks, of a value of $1,625,310 (= 325,062/.) 
v/ere exported, chiefly to China. 

A run through the assay and melting-house, which 
is the property of the Consolidated Virginia, but 
which does the work of the two companies, com- 
pleted a most interesting visit, and I came away 
from Virginia city impressed both with the wealth 
of the Comstock Ledge and with the gigantic scale 
of the undertakings I visited. 

As a practical exemplification of the wealth, it is 
computed that $350,000,000 (70,000,000/.) worth of 
bullion has been produced from this lode up to the 
present time, and the following is the produce of 
the Consolidated Virginia alone, since 1873 inclu- 
sive, as stated in the annual report of the President, 
Mr. C. H. Fish: — 



Gold. 
1873.— §314,289= £62,858 
1874.-2,063,438= 412,688 
1875.-7,035,207=1,407,042 
1876.-7,378,146=1,475,629 
1877.-6,270,519=1,254,101 



Silver. 
§331,293= £66,258 
2,918,0-16= 583,609 
9,682,188:=. 1,936,437 
9,279,504=1,855,901 
7,463,500=1,492,700 



Total. 

§645,582=£129,116 

4,981,484= 996,297 

16,717,395=3,343,479 

16,657,650=3,331,530 

13,734,019=2,746,804 



$52,736,130 £10,547,226 



Of this vast amount it appears that $35,640,000 
(7,128,000/.) has been paid in dividends ! I am not 
aware what the actual capital now employed amounts 
to ; it would seem, however, that $438,490 (87,698/.) 
was expended before a dollar was returned. 

The California mine accounts are also both 
interesting and instructive, and testify equally to 
the riches of the Comstock. In 1876, the average 
value of the 127,540 tons raised was about $105 
(21/.) per ton, and the total value of the bullion 



390 Wanderings in tlie Western Land. 

was $13,400,841 (2,680,168/.), of which $6,488,640 
(1,297,728/.) was gold, and $6,912,208 (1,382,440/.) 
silver; the dividends paid to shareholders in this 
year was $8,640,000 (1,728,000/.) ! Last year (1877) 
the ore raised from the California was 213,683 tons, 
of an average value of $88^ (17/. 2s. 96^.) per ton. 
The dividends paid to shareholders amounted to 
$12,960,000 (2,592,000/.) ! The cost of working and 
after treatment of the ore was $25. 70c. (5/. 3s.) per 
ton ; of this amount the labour for getting the ore 
was $3. 57c. (say 14s.) ; hoisting (or winding out of 
the mine), 86c. (3s. 7t/.) ; after-treatment, $10. 39c. 
(2/. 3s. 2>\d.). The silver extracted weighed 464| 
tons, of"^ a value of $9,538,104 (1,907,021/.) ! 
and about eighty-three tons of gold, of a value of 
$9,386,745 (1,877,349/.) ! So that the total value 
of the bullion was $18,924,849 (3,784,270/.)! 
The wages paid were $776,362 (155,272/. 10s.), of 
which $712,536 (142,507/.) was to miners at $4 per 
day; the average wages throughout the concern 
was $4.33c. (18s.) per man per day. 

I do not know that anything gives a better idea 
of the scale on which an undertaking is carried on 
than the actual balance-sheet, so will now give what 
purports to be that of the Virginia Consolidated for 
1877, as stated in one of the San Francisco daily 
papers. There appears to be a mistake in the 
addition, which I am at a loss to account for, the 
credits being correct, but the debit side should be 
$15,529,996.82, a difference of $1,630,339.27, or 
about 326,068/. However, the figures will suffice 
to show the very large amounts expended on the 
various items, which are so amply met by the great 
value of the bullion produced. 



The Coiiistock Ledge — A mine account. 391 



CONSOLIDATED VIRGINIA, 1877. 



Receipts. 


$ 


£ 


Yield of the mine for the year 


. 13,734,019.07 = 


2,746,804 


Sundry ores sold during the year 


68,201.38 „ 


13,640 


Received from sundry parties for 




assaying .... 


62,424.31 „ 


12,485 


Balances outstanding . 


35,012.79 „ 


7,002 


Last annual meeting since settled 


. $13,899,657.55 = 


£2,779,931 


Disbursements. 


% 


£ 


Cash and bullion samples in hand 


) 




Superintendent at Virginia 


10,743.06 = 


2,149 


Cash on hand, San Francisco Office 1,353.25 „ 


270 


Balance of cash in Nevada Bank 


. 1,088,349.01 „ 


217,670 


Virginia office expenses 


3,284.45 „ 


657 


Team account 


1,271.20 „ 


254 


On purchase 


93,933.53 „ 


18,787 


Surveying .... 


700.00 „ 


140 


Assay Office expenses (Vii'ginia) 


38,269.90 „ 


7,654 


Books and Stationery . 


1,614.45 „ 


323 


Legal expenses 


299.07 „ 


60 


Advertising .... 


199.50 „ 


40 


Water ..... 


6,000.00 „ 


1,200 


Real Estate .... 


1,652,00€.00 „ 


330,400 


Hoisting — balance paid above re 


- 




ceipts .... 


3,142.14 „ 


628 


Taxes ..... 


282,579.23 „ 


56,216 


Reduction (crushing) . 


1,449,188.60 „ 


289,838 


Interest and Exchange . 


89,934.39 „ 


17,987 


Bullion Freight . 


48,402.19 „ 


9,680 


Dividends (Nos. 33 to 40 inclusive] 


8,640,000.00 „ 


1,728,000 


C and C Shaft .... 


131,000.00 „ 


26,200 


Bullion Discount .... 


975,416.05 „ 


195,083 


Supplies ..... 


391,505.87 „ 


78,301 


Salaries and Wages 


615,545.50 „ 


123,109 


San Francisco office 


5,265.43 „ 


1,053 



$15,529,996.82 = X3,105,999 

The board of management is, I believe, a committee 
of five, elected yearly at a general meeting of the 



392 Wanderings in the Western Land. 

shareholders, who have the power of calling a 
general meeting between-times, and altering the 
composition of the committee. Most mining com- 
panies in these parts are incorporated imder an Act 
of Congress similar to our own Limited Liabilities 
Act. If a company is not under this Act, the 
liability of the shareholders is unlimited. 

I must not quit this locality without saying a few 
words on that great work for which an Act of 
Congress has been obtained, and which will be of 
such importance to the mining adventures situated 
on this lode. I mean the Sutro Tunnel. This 
tunnel (or adit, as we should call it) has for its 
main object the unwatering of the mines, at a depth 
of 2,244 feet from the surface, by branches or cross- 
cuts ; but, besides this, it is expected to prove of 
great value as an intake of fresh air for the deep 
workings, and as a base, as it were, for exploring 
operations. 

The mouth of the adit is between Corral and 
Weber Canons, a little over four miles from the 
Comstock outcrop, but as the ledge dips to the east, 
it is expected to cut it in 20,178 feet, or three miles 
and 1,446 yards. To expedite the work and pro- 
cure fresh air for the men, four shafts are to be 
sunk in this distance, about 4,500 feet apart, the 
depth of which will vary from 443 to 1,942 feet. 
The rock through which it has to be driven is said 
to be on the whole easy to deal with, and to con- 
sist of trachyte, trachytic breccia, and trachytic 
greenstone, the latter partially decomposed, and pro- 
bably requiring timbering for its whole length of 300 
yards or more. The vertical section through the 
self-supporting rock is described as "a circle of 



The Comstock Ledge — The S^itro Tumicl. 393 

twelve feet diameter, with offsets three and a half 
feet from the bottom, about one foot wide, Avhich 
support the superstructure of the railroad track, to 
be used for removing ore and debris from the mine. 
The space under the superstructure is for drawing 
the water from the lode. Where timber supports 
are required to sustain the adjacent rock the top is 
level, and ten feet wide, clear of the framing; 
height, eight feet to the bottom of the timbers sup- 
porting the railroad, where it is twelve feet wide in 
the clear. Below this there is a triangular space, 
three feet seven inches in depth, forming the water 
way." (Government Report, 1868, p. 398.) It is 
estimated that 10,535 feet will be through solid rock, 
and 9,643 feet through decomposed rock requiring 
timbering. It was originally computed that the 
time actually required to carry out this great work 
would be a little more than two and a half years ; 
but allowing for delays and contingencies, it was 
thought that it would probably take from three and 
a half to four years. But as it was begun in 1871, 
and is not yet connected with any of the workings 
on the Comstock, we may assume that unexpected 
difficulties have been met with. Burleigh's drills 
have been extensively used ; and in the month of 
December, 1874, 417 feet were driven (13 feet per 
day). Up to the end of 1877 the total quantity 
completed was 18,607 feet, the year's work being 
3130 feet (261 feet per month). There would then 
be about 1,500 feet still to drive to reach workings 
on the Comstock lode. 

The importance which such an adit would be 
to mining undertakings continually troubled with 
water, only miners themselves can fully appreciate. 



394 Wanderings in the Western Land. 

In some cases it may make the difference of actual 
existence, whilst it will place at the disposal of all 
in connexion with it a large intake for the purposes 
of ventilation, which may prove of very great value 
in the future, in dealing with the heat question. 
It is anticipated, too, that a great hydraulic power 
will be developed for the benefit of all mines 
connected with it. 

Before leaving the Comstock I may be expected 
to say a few words on the probable future of this 
" mine of wealth," although I feel it somewhat pre- 
sumptuous in a mere visitor like myself to make even 
a surmise. The surface extent of the fissure is now 
pretty well known, but the problem yet unsolved is 
whether it will continue its peculiar wealth to the 
deep ? whether the same precious metals will con- 
tinue to predominate, or whether the lode will not 
alter its character as the depth increases ? Such an 
occurrence as the latter is by no means uncommon in 
metalliferous lodes, as an example of which, many of 
the copper-mines of Cornwall maybe mentioned which 
have turned into tin as they have increased their 
depth from surface. The scientific investigators who 
have had the best opportunity of forming an opinion 
of this ledge seem to think that it will continue 
of much the same character as at present. Baron 
Richthof en, in his Report to the Mechanics' Institute 
in 1865, on the Sutro Tunnel, writes: " The value 
of a deep tunnel will, of course, chiefly depend upon 
the question whether these mines will ever be 
worked to considerable depth ; that is, whether the 
Comstock vein will extend far down, and whether 
it will retain its metalliferous character in depth. 
Both questions will have to be decided from the 



The Conistock Ledge, Us future. 395 

study of tlie structure and nature of the Comstock 
vein, and from comparing the results with the 
observations at such mines in other countries Avhicli 
have already been worked to great depth. My 
experience on the Comstock vein is based on close 
and repeated examinations of nearly all the mines 
on its course. I believe I concur with almost every- 
body who has had equal experience about them, in 
the opinion that it is a true fissure vein, of extra- 
ordinary length, and extending downwards much 
further than any mining works will ever be able to 
be carried on. It would be too lengthy to enumerate 
the various reasons which lead most positively to this 
conclusion. It is now assumed almost universally 
as a fact, and the number of those who consider it 
as a gash vein, or a system of gash veins, is fast 
diminishing. As to the downward continuance of 
the ore-bearing character, every instance goes to 
show that the average yield in precious metals 
remains about the same at every depth. Some mines 
had accumulations of ore near the surface; in others 
they commenced very near under the surface ; at 
others, again, considerable work had to be done 
before bodies of ore of any amount were struck ; 
and some which had no ore heretofore appear to 

have good prospects to find it soon There 

is no reason to doubt that the equality of average 
produce and yield throughout the entire length of 
the vein will continue downwards to any depth; 
besides the very obvious theoretical conclusion that 
vast amounts of silver could not be carried into 
the fissure from the overlying or enclosing rocks, 
but naturally had to rise from unknown depths, 
through the channel of the fissure itself, to be 



396 Wanderings in the Western Land. 

deposited in it where the conditions for sublima- 
tion or precipitation were giv^en in its open space. 
Experience in other countries by no means shows 
of a regular decrease or increase in yield as of com- 
mon occurrence, though either of them may haj)pen. 
More commonly, the produce of true fissure veins in 
precious metals has been found to be about constant." 

So wrote Baron Richthofen in 1865, and his 
views were thought of such weight, that they were 
published in the Government Report of 1868 on the 
" Mineral Resources of the United States " (p. 391), 
with an observation that explorations made since 
" strongly confirm the views expressed by him." 

Should these views prove correct, and the lode 
continue wealth-producing to the deep, a serious 
question will present itself, namely, how to meet 
the rapidly-increasing high temperature. Even at 
the present depth of about 1,700 feet in the California 
and Consolidated Virginia the heat is causing incon- 
venience, and requires artificial means to counteract 
it. But this inconvenience, at the present rate of 
increase, will become a positive trouble by the 
time the depth of 2,000 feet is reached. In this 
matter the Sutro Tunnel will doubtless prove of very 
great value as an " intake," and the natural draw 
of the deep shaft and the heated atmosphere of the 
workings may easily be assisted by artificial means, 
such as fans, in the same way as if an inflammable 
colliery was being dealt with. At any rate we 
may rest assured that should the valuable nature 
of the lode continue downwards, science will come 
to the rescue, and enormously deep workings will 
be carried on before heat alone is allowed to drive 
the determined miner from his vocation. 



CHAPTER XIX. 

" A land of space and dreams ; a land 
Of sea, salt lakes, and dried uj) seas ! " 
Joaquin Miller, " The Qreat Plains and Desert." 

" Eestore to God His due in tithe and time : 
A tithe purloin'd, cankers the whole estate." 

Herbert, " The Teinjjle." 

Hurried movements — The Eureka District — The ore and its 
treatment — Ogden — Utah — The Wahsatch mountains — The 
" Great Basin " — Geology — Salt Lake City — The Mormons — 
Their habitations — Polygamy — The Governor's Message — - 
]N"ewspaper comment — Camp Douglas — The United States 
Army — The Indian Bureau — The Great Salt Lake — The 
Oquirrh Mountains — The mineral veins of Utah — The Emma 
Mine — Professor Hayden's report — Other Mines — Character 
of the ores— Cornish Miners — ^on- observance of the Sabbath 
— A lamentable blemish. 

It liad been my intention before leaving the western 
slope of the Rocky Mountains to visit the well- 
known Eureka mining district, but Parliament was 
now summoned, so this and other pleasant and 
interesting expeditions had to be abandoned, and I 
had only time for a flying visit to Salt Lake City on 
my way back across the continent. 

Eureka is reached, by a branch three-foot gauge 
line 90 miles in length, from Palisade station on the 
Union Pacific Railroad 595 miles from San Fran- 



398 Wmiderings in the Western Land. 

cisco. There is only one quick train daily on this 
branch each way, and they are so timed that two 
days must be consumed on the trip. I should have 
much liked to have seen this locality, which must 
be most interesting in its mineralogical and geo- 
logical aspect, but it was not feasible with the 
time I had left. I was told, on good authority, 
that the ore is nearly entirely a carbonate of 
lead, and that it occurs in connected vertical 
pockets in the limestone. These pockets are en- 
closed within walls of quartz and a sort of shale, 
impervious to water. It would appear that the 
ore was originally galena (sulphuret of lead), 
and that the passing of water down through the 
vein has decomposed it, and that it has become a 
carbonate, a natural chemical process by no means 
uncommon in other localities. Occasionally lumps 
of ffalena are found coated and surrounded with the 
new-formed carbonate. The practical result here of 
this process is an ore admirably adapted for metal- 
lurgical treatment — the approximate contents of 
which are about 35% of lead, and 45% of oxide of 
iron, with about 135 ozs. of silver, and 4^ ozs. to 
5 ozs. of gold per ton of ore. The gold probably 
occurs as " native " in the quartz and the silver as 
a sulphide. Such is the ore as it is raised from 
the mines without any "dressing" or expenditure 
upon it whatsoever; and in this condition it is 
delivered to the works. It is then treated in high 
furnaces, each of which smelts about 75 to 80 tons 
of ore per day, with a consumption of 25 bushels 
of charcoal. 

There are two large companies at work here, both 
of whom mine and smelt their own ores. One of 



The EuTcka Mining District, its production. 399 

the companies is composed chiefly of San Francis- 
cans, and is called the Eureka Company; the 
other, the Riclimond Consolidated Company, is an 
English adventure. A lawsuit has lately been going 
on between them, in which the chief point in dispute 
was whether the occurrence was a " fissure " or a 
" pipe," and on this the verdict depended. It was 
eventually ruled, I am told, that it was a " fissure." 

The base bullion made in this district in 1877 
(which contained over 16°/^ of gold) was of the value 
of $12,000,000 (= 2,400,000/.), and the Eichmond 
Consolidated Company alone produced 5,200 tons 
of pig lead, from which the preciou.s metals had 
been extracted. 

At Oofden — 883 miles from San Francisco — I 
branched off by the Utah Central Railroad to Salt 
Lake City, distant 36 miles. The line runs in close 
proximity to the beautiful Wahsatch Mountains, 
the peaks of which are more than 12,000 feet above 
the sea. This range forms, as it were, the eastern 
side or slope of a great interior basin, of which the 
Sierra Nevada is the western. Geologists say, that, 
in comparatively modern times, this basin was one 
great inland sea, and state as one of the proofs of this, 
that the calcareous and arenaceous beds, which are 
deposited over the intermediate space sometimes 
to a thickness of 800 and 1,200 feet, often abound 
with fresh- water shells. At that time the higher 
peaks of the smaller mountain ridges lying between 
these two main ranges must have appeared as 
islands above the surface of this vast extent of 
water. A large portion of this inland region does 
not find any direct drainage to the ocean. To this 
special portion, the early explorer, Fremont, gave 



400 Wanderings in the Western Land. 

the name of the " Great Basin," which has now 
passed into general use. 

It is worthy of note that on the line of the Union 
Pacific Railroad the mountain ranges tend generally 
nearly north and south, and are locally parallel. In 
their geological structure they would, I believe, 
exhibit, as a rule, a section of a sedimentary rock, 
more or less metamorphised, overlying volcanic or 
igneous rocks, the latter generally forming the high 
peaks and rugged outlines of the ridges. Well 
worthy of a trip would the Wahsatch Range prove 
to any enterprising members of the Alpine Club 
who may be no longer satisfied with the mountains 
of old Europe. Amongst these wild peaks and 
precipices they would find ascents difficult enough to 
please the most indefatigable, and be rewarded with 
distant views in this clear transparent atmosphere 
which would be impossible in our moister hemi- 
sphere. 

Salt Lake City is a bright, quiet little town of 
about 20,000 inhabitants, clean, regularly built, and 
picturesquely situated. The long, broad streets and 
roads, laid out at right angles to each other, are 
formal and stiff. There is here nothing attractive 
to the eye of a stranger, at any rate on his first 
acquaintance, nothing differing much from what he 
might expect to see in any other western town. The 
only object which would strike him as peculiar would 
probably be the hideous exterior of the " Tabernacle," 
a long elliptic brick building, 250 feet in length by 
150 in breadth, with a wooden-shingle dome-shaped 
roof. The interior of this edifice is capable of seating 
12,000 people, and possesses extraordinary acoustic 
powers. In order to give me an opportunity of 



The Mormon tabernacle — Population. 40 1 

judging of these, my guide, who possessed a very 
good tenor voice, sung a few bars ^^ jjianissimo " on 
the platform, whilst I stood at the other end of the 
building, and I could hear every note distinctly. 
The organ is very large, and of native manufacture, 
some of the pipes are fifty feet high and two feet 
square. The way in which the seats were arranged 
struck me as peculiar yet practical, the floor being 
on a gentle slope from the platform to the oppo- 
site end of the building, so that all the audience is 
able to see the preacher over the heads of those in 
front of them. This building is not used in winter, 
on account of its not possessing any heating appa- 
ratus ; the congregation has then to attend the 
meeting-houses with which each of the city wards is 
provided. 

I understand that about three-fourths of the 
population are Mormons in the city, but that in 
the territory of Utah the proportion is greater, 
for out of the 100,000 inhabitants, about 85,000 
are Mormons and 15,000 Gentiles, as the non- 
Mormons are here commonly called. The Mormon 
element is said to be on the decrease, in con- 
sequence of the unwillingness on the part of 
some to pay the tithes on all produce as required 
by the elders. In such cases instant dismissal 
from the community follows. I suspect that the 
proximity of Camp Douglas, where the United 
States Government keeps a small military force, 
encourages and renders possible resistance to the 
edicts and commands which would not have been 
ventured upon formerly. Yet the sect must be 
still prosperous and financially strong if one may 
judge by their public buildings and domestic 

D d 



402 Wanderings in the W ester 7i Land. 

dwelling-houses. A very fine new tabernacle of 
dressed granite is being erected for their cere- 
monies, and substantial stone edifices form the 
abodes of their " bosses." One of these latter, a 
very nice-looking house, had five small doors open- 
ing on to the street. I was told that these five 
openings demonstrated that the proprietor was the 
possessor of five wives, each of whom had her own 
door. Another had three doors for the same reason ; 
and another, said to be that of Bishop (!) Sharp, 
formerly a Scotch collier, had two doors. Another, 
with a like number, belonged to an old brute of an 
elder, who had very recently lost a wife, and had 
just replaced her with a young Scandinavian girl. 

Brigham Young's establishment is enclosed within 
walls, with the exception of the Amelia House, a 
part of which his favourite wife still occupies. He 
himself used to reside in the Bee-Hive House in 
which he died, and he was buried in the grounds 
attached to it. A watchman's hut has been erected 
in the garden for the purpose, it is said, of guarding 
the grave. 

It is sincerely to be hoped that not many years 
will elapse before polygamy will cease; and the follow- 
ing circumstance would seem to point that way. The 
United States Governor, Emery, opened the Terri- 
torial Parliament a few days ago, January 10, 1878, 
and is reported in the Salt Lake Daily Herald, a 
Mormon organ, to have used the following words 
in his " message :" — 

" The majority of the people of this territory, 
belong to a religious sect known as the ' Latter-day 
Saints.' I do not intend to discuss the merits or 
demerits of this new religion, but to refer to one of 



Governor Emery's Message. 403 

its distinctive features, polygamy. This system of 
marriage has continued here for thirty years, and 
for fifteen years in violation of law. In all the 
States and Territories except Utah it is considered 
a grave offence, and is severely punished. Poly- 
gamy is no less a crime here than in other portions 
of our country ; and yet the law remains a dead 
letter upon the statutes. I regard this system of 
marriage an evil, undermining the peace of society 
brought within its influence, and carrying with it 
dark shadows, which rest like a blight upon the 
offspring of these illegal relations, and the women 
who are maintained in them. The number of poly- 
gamous wives in Utah is large — how large I have 
not the means of knowing — yet it is safe to say 
they number thousands. Such a condition of things 
is an anomaly nowhere else to be found in a Chris- 
tian country. This, gentlemen, is a serious ques- 
tion, and should be met openly and with candour. 
It is for you to decide whether from all the sur- 
roundings you will take action in the premises and 
provide against the continuance of these criminal 
relations, or ignore the consequences of this state 
of affairs. Congress has reserved to itself the right 
to approve or disapprove of any territorial legislation, 
and also to enact such laws as may appear neces- 
sary to the welfare of the people. Yet, notwith- 
standing these reserved powers, it is more than 
probable that Congress would acquiesce in any 
measures inaugurated by yourselves looking to a 
permanent and equitable settlement of this ques- 
tion. The territories are the wards of the national 
Government created by Congress, and whatever 
privileges are enjoyed within them are extended 

D d 2 



404 Wdnde^'iito^s in the IV ester 11 Land. 

by that body, all of wliicli Congress lias tlie power 
to modify or revoke. The policy of the Govern- 
ment has been to allow citizens of the territories to 
legislate for themselves, and no donbt it will con- 
tinue in that policy, provided they enact judicious 
laws, such as are in accordance with the general 
government, and in harmony with those of the States, 
and not otherwise. Polygamous marriages are so 
frequent and so numerous throughout this territory, 
and the sentiment of the majority of the people so 
much in their favour, that the officers of the law, 
though charged with the duty of enforcing the law, 
find themselves unable to do so without further and 
more stringent legislation on the subject. This 
legislative body has sufficient jurisdiction over the 
matter to provide such enactments as the circum- 
stances require; but if it fails to act in the pre- 
mises, then it is the duty of Congress to take 
cognizance of the fact and to provide such legisla- 
tion as will meet this case, or abolish the law which 
makes polygamy a crime." 

Some further remarks follow, but I think I have 
quoted enough to show the feeling of the Govern- 
ment towards this practice, and the apparent pro- 
bability that it will soon be suppressed by special 
Act of Congress, should the Territorial Parliament 
refuse to deal with it themselves. Considering that 
a very large majority of this local legislature are 
Mormons, who should support polygamy as one of 
the tenets of their religion, its suppression would be 
a bitter pill for them to swallow ; but abolish it they 
must, or pressure will be brought to bear from the 
east. The Salt Lake Daily Herald of January 16th, 
1878, — the Mormon organ — in an article comment- 



Mormon comments on the Message. 405 

ing on the message, alludes to this passage in the 
following off-hand way : — " No message by a ' Gen- 
tile ' governor of Utah would be complete without 
a reference to polygamy ; hence his excellency, 
who doubtless desired that his communication to 
the assembly should be lacking in nothing, devotes 
a portion of the document to that practice. He 
talks as if he was expected to say so much on 
the subject ; but we doubt if the governor dreams 
that his words will have any effect upon the mem- 
bers of the dignified body, a majority of whom are 
presumed to practise what he asks them to abolish, 
and all of whom belong to a religious faith and 
organization, one of the tenets of which is this 
doctrine of plural marriage. His language on this 
subject ought to pacify the radical anti-Mormon 
class." 

This is certainly a somewhat cool way of treating 
a message from the Central Government as if it 
were mere bounce to be put aside. They make, how- 
ever, some little amende by pronouncing that "on the 
whole the production is very fair," and to be rated, 
in market parlance, as " above fair to middling." 
The foregoing passage from the message gives too an 
interesting; and official view of the relation existino: 
between the Territorial Legislatures and Congress. 
The elected Territorial Parliaments are allowed to 
leg-islate on local matters and their recommenda- 
tions, if not in contravention of the acts and views 
of Congress, are sanctioned by the latter body and 
become law. 

One of the most charming views of the city and 
its lovely surroundings is to be had from the United 
States Government post of Camp Douglas, situated 



4o6 Wanderings in the Westeini Land. 

about three miles off, under the Wahsatch Range. 
This is an entrenched camp, capable of accommo- 
dating seven companies of infantry, and possessing 
about a dozen brass field-pieces in a commanding 
position. At this time there were only three com- 
panies here, the remainder of the garrison being, as 
usual, in pursuit of phantom Indians, a work of 
fatigue and hardship, and attendant with but little 
glory. 

I found the officer in command most civil and 
communicative. Like most officers in this small 
service, he had had a very large and varied expe- 
rience of military life. Indeed, it cannot well be 
otherwise after a few years' service with the United 
, States army of scarcely 25,000 men, who have to 
occupy more than 200 posts, scattered over such 
an enormous extent of country. Like our own, 
these troops are subjected to great changes of 
climate, from the parching heats of southern Arizona 
and New Mexico to the intense colds of northern 
Wyoming and Montana. The service is not a 
popular one, and less so with the privates than the 
officers. To be one of the " boys in blue " is looked 
upon by the indigenous western men as a career 
not to be tolerated even under the most pinching 
necessity. Probably the life is too fettered for 
their ideas of liberty, and consequently, although 
the pay is good, $17 (3L 8s.) for privates, and $32 
(6L 8s.) for non-commissioned officers per month, and 
all found, yet a native American in the ranks is 
the exception. I am told that nearly all the rank 
and file are Germans or Irish. Enlistment is volun- 
tary, and for a period of five years. Great induce- 
ments are offered to the men to save. They need 



The United States Army — The Indian Bureau. 407 

not draw their full rations, when tliey receive value 
for the same ; and when their uniforms and kit are 
not worn out at the stated times, a very full allow- 
ance is made them in money, which is placed to 
their credit in the regimental accounts, 

I am told that a captain's pay is at first $2000 
(400/.) per annum, with an increase of ten per cent, 
for every subsequent five years' service, besides 
many extras and facilities for obtaining articles of 
food, clothing, &c., from the Government stores at 
cost price. This latter system does not, I believe, 
exist in our service, but it is much appreciated here 
by the married officers, and enables them to live at 
a far less cost than if they had to buy at the ordi- 
nary trading stores. 

The acting commandant of Camp Douglas had 
served in the North and South war, and in many small 
campaigns against the Indians. Last year he had 
been engaged under General Cook against the Sioux, 
in the country north of the Black-hills of Dakotah, 
and had undergone great privations and hardships. 
His belief was that this tribe had been so thoroughly 
" whipped " that they would not break out again at 
present, but that the flame would smoulder, and 
should the Government make any false step, such as 
the further reduction of the already too small army, 
the Indians would at once seize on the opportunity, 
and again take the war-path. 

I have heard but one opinion as to the incom- 
petency and corruption of the Indian Bureau, or 
King, in its past dealings with the Redskins. Many 
believe that the United States army officers could 
undertake the management of the whole matter in 
the same way as in Algeria, where a selection of 



4oS Wanderings in the Western Land. 

French army officers constitute tlie so-called "Bureau 
Arabe." At any rate, it would seem that no change 
can be for the worse. 

From its commanding position, Camp Douglas, 
as I said before, possesses a most extensive and 
beautiful view, and not only of the city and the near 
Wahsatch Mountains with Emigrant Peak, and the 
lofty Twin Peaks 12,200 feet above sea level, but 
also of the Great Salt Lake, the Oquirrh Range, and 
the country beyond. Salt Lake City and its environs 
are full of interest, both social and physical; but they 
have been so often and so fully described by those 
who liave had both leisure and opportunity to investi- 
gate them thoroughly, that my remarks will be very 
few, and these confined chiefly to natural objects. 

In the first place, a few words about that curious 
inland sea, nine or ten miles to the north of the 
city, the Great Salt Lake. It is said to be from 
75 to 120 miles in length, and from 15 to 40 miles 
in width, and to be situated 420 feet above the 
sea level. As it were, it entombs the Jordan River, 
on which the city is built, for after it disappears 
into this vast expanse of water, like Bear River, it 
is seen no more, for curiously enough there is no 
visible outflow from this or any of the other lakes 
situated in the Great Basin, the surplus water being 
disposed of by evaporation and absorption. The 
water of the lake contains from seventeen to twenty 
per cent, of common salt, besides about two per 
cent, of other alkahne salts. My hunters used to 
tell me that no bird could rise off the surface after 
having once settled on it, but this I cannot vouch 
for. The bathing is said to be delicious, which is 
also the case in the warm salt springs about a 



The Great Salt Lake — Geological changes. 409 

mile to tlie north of the city. The water of the 
lake scarcely ever freezes, even in the coldest 
seasons of this very severe climate. Beautiful 
specimens of crystallized salt are found on the sage- 
bushes growing on the margin, when they happen 
to grow so close as to be occasionally immersed in 
the water. 

It would appear, from the geological investigation 
which I have alluded tobef ore, that this and other lakes 
of the Great Basin are the remains of gigantic inland 
seas spreading over vast areas of country, and that 
in those times the water was scarcely, if at all, salt, 
fresh water shells being found in certain locahties in 
great abundance. Professor Hayden, in the United 
States Government Report, 1870, p. 170, says that 
" The smaller i-anges of mountains were scattered 
over it " (this sea) " as isolated islands, their sum- 
mits projecting above the surface ; that the waters 
have gradually and slowly passed away by evapora- 
tion, and the terraces " (or ' beach lines ') " are left 
to reveal certain oscillations of level, and the steps 
of progress towards the present order of things ; 
and that the briny waters have concentrated in 
those lake basins which have no outlet. The entire 
country seems to be full of salt springs, which have, 
in all probability, contributed a great share to the 
saline character of the waters." 

One of these ancient beach lines has been found 
on the mountain -side as much as 300 feet above the 
present water level. There are now no fish in the 
lake, although various articulate insects have been 
discovered and reported upon. 

In the distance beyond the Great Salt Lake rises 
up the Oquirrh Range, not so beautiful in outline 



4IO Wanderings in the Western Land. 

or so high as the Wahsatch, but possessing equal 
attractions to the miner and geologist. As in the 
Wahsatch, the sedimentary rocks found in this 
range belong to the silurian and carboniferous forma- 
tions. I believe the section would be quartzite (a 
gritty sandstone), overlaid with limestone of the 
carboniferous period, and below the whole an old 
volcanic rock, like granite or syenite, perhaps in 
some locahties metamorphosed into gneiss. In the 
limestone occur the lodes of rich lead and silver ores, 
which have made the mines of Utah so celebrated. 

The far-famed Emma Mine, of unenviable notoriety, 
is situated about 8,400 feet above the sea, at the 
head of a gorge called Little Cotton Wood Canon, 
in the Wahsatch Eange. The particular locality is 
so well described by Professor Hayden, in the 
Government Report of 1872, that I will give the 
account of his visit almost in full, feeling sure that 
many of my readers will be interested to hear the 
description of so distinguished a geologist of a 
minino; district which has since caused such a sen- 
sation on both sides of the Atlantic. It is as fol- 
lows : — " Leaving Salt Lake City we take the State 
road, and after a ride of ten miles in a south-easterly 
direction, passing between thriving farms dotted 
with comfortable-looking houses, we turn to the left 
and strike across the country to the mountains. 
Directly before us is the highest point in the 
Wahsatch Range, the .Twin Peaks, over 12,000 feet 
above sea level. As we ride along we see distinctly 
marked on the sides of the mountains in front of us 
the water-lines of the former shores of the Great 
Salt Lake. These old shore-lines are distinctly 
marked on the mountains, on all sides of the lake. 



Professor Haydeiis visit to tJic Emma District. 4 1 1 

and on all the islands of the lake. We pass over 
numerous terraces, and at length reach the mouth 
of the caiion. Here there are no less than seven 
distinct terraces, some of them, however, due to the 
action of the Cotton Wood Creek. Near the mouth 
of the canon there are smelting works, to which ore 
is brought from the mines at the head of the creek. 
Inside the caiion we find ourselves between hio-h 

o 

granite walls, rising precipitously on either side of 
the creek. The first thing to attract our attention 
is the conspicuous bedding of these granites. The 
dip is east, at an angle of fifty to seventy degrees. 
The granite is of a light-grey colour composed of 
white feldspar (orthoclase), quartz, and black mica. 
The bottom of the canon is strewn with boulders of 
granite, which lie scattered over it in inextricable 
confusion. In many of them I noticed veins of 
feldspar, of about two inches in width, crossing each 
other at right angles. Another noticeable feature 
in these granites is the occurrence of rounded pebble- 
like masses, of a dark colour, enclosed in the grey 
matrix. Professor Silliman (Silliman's Journal, vol. 
iii., p. 196) referring to these, says, ' These granites 
are probably metamorphics of conglomerates, an 
opinion first suggested to me by Professor W. P. 
Blake,' and he further states, ' there is a pebble-like 
roundness in the particles of quartz in this granite, 
which points to a mechanical origin. The rock is 
quite uniform in its structure.' 

" A mile or two in the canon we came to a small 
village called Graniteville. It is near here that the 
granite of which the Mormon temple is being built is 
quarried. Instead of working into the rock on the 
sides of the caiion, the quarrying is confined to the 



412 Wanderings in the Western Land. 

husre blocks of p:ranite wliicli are scattered over the 
bottom on both sides of the creek. Some of these 
blocks are immense, measuring thirty feet square. 
They are split into the required size. 

" Our road for about five miles leads us between 
the granite walls that tower far above us, sur- 
mounted by dome-like masses, whose summits are 
covered with snow, giving origin to the numerous 
falls and cascades which abound on the side of the 
canon. The Little Cotton Wood Creek flowing past 
us falls about 500 feet to the mile. It rushes along 
furiously over its rocky bed, seeming to be at war 
with the immense boulders that dispute its right of 
way. As we proceed we leave the granites behind 
us, and above us project the sharp jagged edges of 
quartzite beds. These quartzites have a reddish 
colour, and are followed by slates, upon which rest 
thick beds of white limestone, the lower beds are 
crystalline and probably silurian, although I was 
unable to find any fossils in them. The upper layers 
are dolomitic, and are carboniferous in age. It is 
in these limestones that the ores occur. The prin- 
cipal mine is the ' Emma.' Unfortunately, owing to 
a disturbance at the time of our visit, I was unable 
to see the Emma Mine, but visited the ' Flagstaff ' 
and the ' Silver Star.' " 

Then follows an analysis of an average sample of 
eighty-two tons of first-class ore from the Emma 
Mine, made at Swansea, South Wales, in April, 1871, 
showing over 34 7o of metallic lead, 0'487o of silver, 
nearly 41 °/o of silica, 3*54 °/o of iron, the remainder 
made up of small quantities of sulphur, antimony, 
copper, zinc, manganese, alumina, magnesia, lime, 
carbonic acid, with 9*58 °/o of ox^^gen and water by 



TJie Eiuma Mine, its ore and causes of failure. 413 

difference. " The quantity of silver obtained from 
tins lot was 156 troy ounces to the gross ton of 
2240 pounds." 

I am told on good authority that the lode or 
fissure operated upon by the Emma dips north-east; 
that it is sometimes as much as fifty feet wide, and 
is filled with a gangue consisting chiefly of quartz 
and carbonate of lime; that the lead is present as 
pure galena (sulphuret), and the same decomposed 
into the carbonate ; that the ore contains as much 
as 40°/o 0^ ^^% °^ galena, and is besides worth 
$100 (20Z.) per ton for silver. There are still a few 
miners at work in this once-famous mine, being 
employed by the mortgagee, a Mr. Pearce, I think. 

The general opinion of those I met in this locality 
seemed to be that the " Emma " had originally every 
prospect of becoming a good mine. The ore was 
there, and plenty of it ; but that the undertaking 
was swamped in the stock market by being made to 
carry three times the amount of stock it required. 
This seems, in the opinion of most local men, to have 
been the chief cause of its ruin. I am told that much 
of the mine is now so flooded with water as to be 
as good as lost ; but that some good ore is still got 
out from the other portions. 

The Flagstaff Mine, situated in this same caiion, 
and on a parallel lode, is now turning out large 
quantities of fine ore. 

The Prince of Wales's Mine is situated about one 
and a quarter miles from the Emma, in the Big 
Cottonwood Cafion, and is the property of the 
Messrs. Walker, Brothers, of Salt Lake City, from 
whom I received very great courtesy. It is supposed 
that this mine is working the same lode as the Flag- 



414 Wanderings in the Western Land. 

staff. The ore is of a precisely similar character, 
namely, galena, often decomposed into the carbonate, 
and rich in silver. 

The Bingham and Telegraph Mines seem to be the 
two principal undertakings " located " in the Oquirrh 
Range. Their ores are argentiferous and auriferous 
sulphurets and carbonates of lead, but I am told 
that they are somewhat less rich than those from the 
Wahsatch Range. 

It would appear as if a kind nature had meant the 
ores of these two ranges to be treated in the same 
smelting works. One contains much silica, the 
other is rich in oxide of iron, so that together a most 
happy mixture is formed for metallurgical treat- 
ment. 

The fuel used at the works is charcoal and coke, 
which is brought all the way from Pittsburg, and 
costs, it is said, $30 (6/.) per ton. 

Most of the miners in these parts are from old 
Cornwall, and they seem to be much appreciated for 
their untiring energy and working capabilities. 

Here, as in nearly all other mining districts of the 
Western States, there is no observance of the Sabbath. 
That day is like any other as far as actual labour is 
concerned. The only bright exception I heard of was 
at the Hans Peak Mines, on the borders of Colorado 
and Wyoming, where a church has been built, and the 
officials encourage the men to go to it. At the Prince 
of Wales's Mine, before-mentioned, they tried to stop 
work on Sundays, but such fearful scenes of gam- 
bling, brawling, and shootings ensued, that the day 
of rest had to be abandoned. I was told that the 
Protestant Bishop of Salt Lake City had said that it 
was " far better to have it a working-day than to 



Non-observance of Sunday. 4 1 5 

incur sucli dreadful scenes of vice." True enough, 
no doubt, but is it right to let the matter drop here ? 
Would there be those scenes if the men, as in the old 
country, had places of worship to go to with their 
families, and were encouraged in so doing by their 
ministers and their superiors ? Surely there is no 
reason for assuming that their natures are changed 
by the voyage across the ocean, and that the Sunday 
would be less well kept here than it is in their 
recently left homes, in the mining districts of Corn- 
wall and elsewhere, were the same opportunity for 
keeping it properly provided for them ? Is there 
not, moreover, an undeniable duty, a moral obliga- 
tion, incumbent on tliose who are now benefitting by 
the miners' labour, and amassing by it such enormous 
fortunes ? should they not, in mere gratitude, do what 
they can to provide for the spiritual welfare of their 
hardy labourers ? 

There is really something miserable in the feeling 
that the weary, dreary round of work goes on con- 
tinuously from week's end to week's end, from year's 
end to year's end, without a day of rest of any kind. 
" Work, work, work," the only cry ; the " almighty 
dollar" the only object. Here is surely a field 
for the missionary, where he can labour amongst, 
as it were, his own kith and kin? many of 
whom have been brought up actually in our midst. 
In former days in the old country they have been 
accustomed to keep the sabbath in such an orderly 
way as to be an object of remark to the passing 
stranger. Hard times have come upon them, and 
they have been obliged to emigrate. Now they find 
themselves in regions where, apparently, scarcely 
any attention is paid to religion. They are sur- 



4i6 Wanderings in the Western Land. 

rounded with fellow- workmen, many of whom are 
hardened in profanity. Soon the religious tendency 
of early life dies away, having nothing to nourish it, 
and eventually they become as careless of religion as 
the mass of those amongst whom they live. 

Now this maybe thought to be mere pedantic talk 
on my part, but I have heard it from more than 
one of themselves, and I feel it right to state the 
facts. 

But it may be asked, how is this unfortunate state 
of things to be remedied ? what is to bo done ? 
Well, let the owners of mines and others in authority 
provide places of worship, however humble, and let 
them countenance and encourage ministers of re- 
ligion to come and dwell amongst them. I feel 
little doubt that, at any rate, those newly-arrived 
would appreciate such efforts ; and moreover that 
many who have left their wives and little ones behind 
in old England, would, if they found schools and 
places of worship in their new homes, quickly get 
them out to them where they are much needed, 
instead of leaving them in the old country, often to 
become mere dependents on charity, or be sup- 
ported by the rates. 

I believe that, even in a selfish and pecuniary point 
of view, it would eventually prove to the advantage 
of the adventurers were a properly kept day of rest 
established. I cannot conceive that there can be 
anything more exhausting, more demoralizing to body 
and soul, than this continuous, grinding wear and 
tear of the human frame. Irreligion is, to my 
mind, tlie great blot on this otherwise bright and 
joyous portion of God's earth, and all sincere and 
earnest well-wishers would do well to consider so 
lamentable a blemish. 



CHAPTER XX. 

" Breathes there the man with soul so dead, 
Who never to himself hath said, 
This is my own, my native land 1 
Whose heart has ne'er within him hnrn'd, 
As home his footsteps he hath turn'd, 
From wandering on a foreign strand 1 " 

Scott, " Lay of the Last Minstrel." 

Homeward bound — A beauteous morn — Train life again — 
Evauston — Snow-ploughs — "Clearing the course" — "Quite 
scared like" — Fellow-travellers — An unfortunate road-agent 
— A mining prospector — The Black-hills — Their Geology — 
The ores — Cost of treatment — The crops of Illinois — An 
oyster merchant — His trade — Niagara — Arctic desolation — 
Rochester — " A white elephant " — An enthusiastic naturalist 
— New York — A flying visit — " On the ocean wave" — Luxu- 
rious voyaging — A quick run — Our log — Queenstown once 
more — A quiet sea — An English fog — Familiar haunts — 
Satisfied withal. 

Having seen all I could of Salt Lake City and its 
surroundings, in the very limited time at my disposal, 
I reluctantly resumed my journey eastwards. I would 
gladly have lingered on and seen far more of that 
remarkable district, which, to quote a paragraph of 
the Governor of Utah's message, is " rich in agricul- 
ture, gold, silver, lead, copper, zinc, sulphur, salt, 
iron, and coal, with climate unsurpassed by any 
other in America; " but Parliament was on the eve 

E e 



4i8 Wanderings in the Western Land. 

of meeting, and tliere I'emained but a few days before 
I was due to sail from New York. The morning I 
left the "harem of the West," was truly lovely; a 
bright winter's sun was rising from behind the 
Wahsatch Mountains, the rough face of which was in 
tlie deepest shade ; the most exquisitely delicate rose- 
tints tinged the snow-covered peaks of the Oquirrh 
Range, below which in peaceful repose lay the bright 
green waters of the Great Salt Lake. What a scene 
for Bierstadt's brush ! but even he would have run 
the risk of being charged with exaggerating effects 
while only adhering truly to nature as she appeared 
on that beauteous morn. 

But the "All on board" was shouted, and we were 
hurried along to Ogden, and soon deposited amongst 
the busy throng of the overland train from San 
Francisco. Once more the regular daily routine of 
train life is entered upon, and with no special 
incidents to enliven it. 

By dinner-time we had arrived at Evanston, Avhere 
I spent the half -hour allotted for tliat meal in looking 
over the collection of snow-ploughs kept ready at 
this season of the year for immediate use. The 
locomotive superintendent acted as my guide, and 
was most ready to give me information on the 
various machines. They have three different sizes 
of ploughs, which are used to suit the work to be 
done. The largest and most powerful is a machine 
in itself, and a most imposing -looking structure it 
is. It stands no less than seventeen feet off the 
ground, and weighs twenty-one tons. The share of 
the plough is a V shaped arrangement of steel plates, 
bolted securely together, in form something like 
the share of an ordinary land plough, the plates 



Evaiiston — Snow ploughs. 4 1 9 

being at an angle of about 30°. This share is the 
first to encounter the opposing masses of snow. It 
is supported from behind by a massive framing of 
horizontal flat steel plates, carried down to within 
one-eighth of an inch, of the rail itself, and carried 
by what are called " shoes," i. e., rounded pieces of 
steel, which run on the rail from about a foot behind 
the plough. Behind this arrangement, and mounted 
on a separate carriage, is what is called a " Sanger," 
which is constructed of flat pieces of steel, reaching 
almost to the top surface of the rail, and just clearing 
the sides. This scrapes off the snow and ice from 
the top surface and sides of the rail. About three 
feet further back on the same carriage are fitted 
steel brushes, which sweep the rails clean of the 
broken-up ice and snow. This ponderous machine 
is so arranged as to be forced ahead into a bank of 
snow, by six locomotives acting together, and is said 
to be capable of clearing the way of seventeen feet 
of fresh drift. 

No. 2 plough weighs about five and half tons, and 
stands about twelve feet high. It is very similar 
in shape and arrangements to No. 1, but is much 
smaller and more handy. It is adapted to be 
worked by a single locomotive, and is capable of 
dealing with eight to ten feet of snow. This No. 2 
machine, I should say, was well worthy of the atten- 
tion of those northern lines of the old countrv, 
which have so frequently had their traffic interrupted 
by the severe snow-storms of the past winter. In 
it we have an arrangement the results of a very 
large and constant experience of perhaps the most 
ingenious mechanics in the world. 

No. 3 plough is simply an ordinary "cow-catcher," 
E e 2 



420 Wanderings in the ]Vestcrn Land. 

tipped or shod with steel plates, and capable of 
removing two or three feet of snow. 

From what I was told the process of snow clearing 
is at times somewhat exciting. On one occasion, 
on the Kansas Pacific Railroad, when my informant 
was riding on the engine, the snow-plough ran 
into a herd of buffalo, and broke the leg of one, 
which was afterwards finished with a shot. On 
another, a wretched deaf man was " quite scared and 
white-like " on being lifted up and landed " right 
away" on to the plough, which was, fortunately for 
him, travelling very slowly. He was quickly laid 
hold of by some of the men on the locomotive, and 
suffered no injury beyond the scare. 

It often happens that both amusing and instruc- 
tive companions are to be met with on board the 
American trains ; and, as far as my experience 
goes, they are always ready to meet a stranger a 
liberal half-way. On the present occasion, amongst 
the many passengers was one of the "bosses" of 
the Black-hill stage route from Cheyenne, bound 
for Ohio to take possession of a farm which a "road 
agent" (highwayman) had bought with the proceeds 
of one of the robberies of the said stage. The 
robber had got away with the plunder, had bought 
a farm, and had intended to settle down with his 
family to peaceful agricultural pursuits in this far-off 
land, when the poor wretch was tracked and appre- 
hended just as he had completed the purchase. 

Another of my fellow-passengers was a gentleman 
from the Black-hills, v/ho was able to give me much 
information about that recently-discovered mining 
district. I heard from him that the two most com- 
mon rocks in this locality are a soft granite and a 



The Black-hill Milling District — Agriciilturc. 42 i 

greenisli slate. The richest "ledges," he said, were 
found at tlie junction of the slate and the granite, 
and that " horses," of a sort of porphyry, occurred 
in the "ledges." The ledges themselves are com- 
posed of a sort of soft, quartzy granite, and vary 
from five to thirty feet in thickness, lying usually at 
an angle of about fifteen degrees. He stated that 
the alluvial deposits at the beds of the creeks form 
into a sort of conglomerate, in which specks of free 
gold are often visible to the naked eye ; and that 
ore as low in value of gold as $4 to $5 (16s. to 20,s'.) 
per ton can be treated with advantage in this dis- 
trict. A large company from California are now 
erecting stamp-mills and works, at which they hope 
to be able to deal with ores for $2|- (10s.) per ton. 

Then agriculture came in for its share in relieving 
the ennui, and afforded an extensive subject for ob- 
servation and conversation as we glided through the 
fertile fields of Illinois. One of the most important 
crops in this State is Indian corn or maize, besides 
which large quantities of wheat and oats are raised. 
The latter, they tell me, is of such a quality as often 
to weigh 48 lbs. per bushel. At this date, January 
22nd, the spring wheat was quite green and well 
above the ground. Very little snow had fallen here 
as yet, but at this time it often covers the ground 
three feet deep. The wheat harvest begins here 
about the 1st of July. 

The following day I discoursed much on oysters 
with a large oyster-merchant, who happened to 
occupy a neighbouring berth in the Pullman. 
With him I had much in common, partly from a 
very strong partiality for that excellent mollusc, 
partly from having sat on a House of Commons 



42 2 Wanderings in the ]Vcstcrn Land. 

Committee, Laving for its object the better pre- 
servation and future increase of that now costly- 
luxury. On this side of the Atlantic, oysters are as 
much in favour, or perhaps even more, than they 
are with us. There are several varieties of American 
oysters, differing much both in size and quality. 
Some are quite excellent, and would compare very 
favourably with our "natives;" others, again, are 
large and coarse ; in fact, individual taste can be 
accommodated from flesh the size of a saucer to 
that of a half-crown. In New York the large sorts 
are called •'Counts," and sell for about $1 (z:4s.) 
per 100, whilst the smaller sorts, called "Culls," 
do not realize more than 55 cents ( = 2,s'. StL). The 
railway charge for conveying them from New York 
to Chicago is now $1 per 100 lbs., or exactly 1 cent 
{\d.) per lb. ; but before an amicable arrange- 
ment had been arrived at between the competing 
companies, the carriage was as low as 25 cents 
per 100 lbs. In the cold weather, when the ther- 
mometer is below zero, the transport is made in the 
so-called " refrigerator cars," which keep the cold 
out and prevent them from freezing. Hay is often 
wrapped round them with the same object ; but the 
best preservative of all against freezing is said to be 
paper. My informant told me that on the American 
beds oysters are rather on the increase than other- 
wise, notwithstanding the very great demand made 
on them. A universal close time exists from 1st of 
May to the middle of September, not secured by 
law, but enforced by nature, as during the summer 
heat any oysters dredged would infallibly be spoiled 
unless consumed on the spot. 

I took the same route homeward as that by 



Niagara in winter. 423 

wliich I came out, partly from my wish to see 
Niagara in its winter garb, and partly from wishing 
to pay a flying visit to Professor Ward's mnseuni 
at Rochester. 

On the 2ord of January I enjoyed a long visit to 
the Falls. The little town had a forlorn and de- 
serted appearance ; nearly all the stores were closed 
and emptied. Even my friend the naturalist was 
gone ; he who had warned me on my former visit 
of the fearful dangers of cariboo hunting ; how a 
hunter had told him he had nearly had his brains 
kicked out by an enraged specimen, and had saved 
himself only by getting behind a tree ! All was now 
cold and deserted. The weather was clear and 
bright, but bitter ; the thermometer was only just 
above zero at midday, and a piercing wind drove 
over Goat Island, laden with particles of frozen 
spray, which cut like bits of glass. I walked over 
the islands, and visited the most striking points of 
view. The river was flowing full and dark, con- 
trasting with the virgin whiteness of the surround- 
ing snow and ice. Every cliff and rock was com- 
pletely encased in ice, which appeared in piled-up 
masses at the foot of both Falls. All the foliag-e 
was covered with frost, and sparkled like a Twelfth- 
night cake in the sunlight. Anything more fearfully 
cold and desolate than some of the views, could not 
well be imagined, and yet there was something 
which made one doubt whether Niagara was not 
more striking and interesting in this truly Arctic 
desolation than when I saw it before in all its 
autumn beauties, the object of admiration to scores 
of one's fellow- creatures. 

Having seen as much as the time would allow 



4^4 JVa7idc?'i?igs in the Western Land. 

of this peculiarly-attractive wonder, I resumed my 
journey to Rochester, where I spent some time with 
Professor Ward, visiting the fine Natural History 
Museum of the College, and going over his own 
stores of mineralogical and zoological treasures. 
These are chiefly the productions of America, but 
they are by no means exclusively so ; for Mr. Ward 
is a man of extraordinary energy, and has collectors 
in many parts of Europe and Asia, and is thus en- 
abled to furnish very complete collections to colleges 
and other institutions. One of the latest additions 
to his natural history collection is a true " white 
elephant" in the shape of a complete skeleton of a 
mammoth, which he has obtained from the icy re- 
p-ions of Northern Siberia. This little addition was 

o 

beyond the capabilities of Professor Ward's pre- 
vious buildings, and required an edifice of its own, 
around the inside walls of which now hung my own 
spoils of the chase, which I had from time to time, 
as occasion offered, sent to him for preservation. 
They had been most ably handled, and appeared to 
me naturally remarkably fine; but in this opinion 
I was dehghted to find myself supported by the 
Professor, who pronounced some of the wapiti heads 
and my cariboo to be unusually good, and one of the 
buffaloes as the largest he had ever set up. In fact 
he only regretted I had not sent him the whole 
beast for preservation ! but 1 consoled myself by 
thinking that had I done so I should not have quite 
known how to lodge him, and, like the Professor 
himself, should have had to build a special addition 
for my newest arrival. 

New York reached, a whirl of sight-seeing, but 
alas, only for a day and an evening, and then away 



Homeward bound — A good i^un. 



425 



for Old England in the magnificent White Star 
liner " Germanic," Captain Kennedy, of 5,400 tons. 
The voyage home was in every way fortunate — a 
splendid ship — excellent company — unusually fine 
weather — and last, but not least, a good commis- 
sariat and most comfortable quarters. As to the 
ship, bad sailor as I am, I did not dishke, nay I 
actually enjoyed the voyage. When about six days 
from New York, we encountered what was logged 
as a "strong gale;" but it had little effect on our 
gallant ship or her internal economy, beyond break- 
ing a few dozen tumblers ; for such is the power 
of these fine specimens of naval architecture, that, 
although the wind was almost dead ahead, we 
accomplished on that day 323 knots. As it may 
interest some of my readers to know the rate at 
which the Atlantic is now traversed, I annex the 
log, as it appeared daily on the companion : — 



Date. 


Lat. 


Lonc^. 


Distance Run. 


Remarks. 




dcg. 


min. 


deg. 


min 


knots. 




January 27 


40 


40 


66 


24 


346 


From Sandy Hook 


»■ 28 


41 


16 


58 


32 


359 


Light breezes 


„ 29 


42 


00 


50 


44 


355 


Strong breezes 


30 


44 


39 


43 


27 


350 


Fresh gale 


„ 31 


47 


04 


35 


hQ 


346 


Fresh breezes 


February 1 


49 


10 


27 


44 


352 


Strong breezes 


9 

J5 - 


50 


45 


19 


44 


323 


Strong gale, 380 
miles west of 
Fastness Light 


3 


51 


23 


10 


18 


360 

S7 


Fresh breezes 
To Queenstown 




2878 





On Saturday morning, the 26th of January, about 
ten o'clock, we left New York; the Sunday afternoon 

F f 



426 ]Vanderings in the JVesle7'jL Land. 

week, about five o'clock, we were in Queenstown. 
Here we parted with a few of our fellow-passengers, 
and tlie whole of our mail-bags. Home news came 
on board, and tlien away again for Liverpool. The 
Channel sea was so calm that I paid a lengthened 
visit to the engineer's domain, and admired the 
smooth working of the fine engines, which were 
driving our floating palace at a sixteen-knot 
velocity through the dancing waters. This great 
speed is only attained by the expenditure of more 
than ninety tons of coal per day, and the atten- 
dance of fifty-five hands to the engineer's depart- 
ment. 

The Mersey is speedily reached, but a heavy fog 
put an end to our gallop, and we had to grope our 
way slowly to the moorings. 

And now my tale is told; my wanderings are 
ended; and in a few hours more I am amongst 
familiar sounds and faces in the lobbies, waiting for 
the first division of the Session. I confess to a very 
comforting sensation at being once more in old 
haunts. Greatly as I have enjoyed my run amidst 
so much that was new and strange, I have returned, 
if possible, more English than I went out, and more 
thankful to a kind Providence for casting my lot 
in the " Ould Countrie." 



FINIS. 



GILBERT AND EIVINGTONj PEINTEESj ST. JOHN'S SQUARE, LONDON. 



A Catalogue of American and Foreign Books Published or 

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Cfoivn Buildings, i8S, Fleet Streel, London, 
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3 ^i^t Of 2$ook5 

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English Catalogue of Books {The). Published during 1863 to 
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List of Publications. 



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List of Publications. 13 



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List of Publications. 1 5 



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Child of the Cavern. 



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List of Publicaiions. 1 7 

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List of Publications. 19 



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" He would answer to Hi ! or to any loud cry. 
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My Rambles in the Neiv World. By Lucien Biart, Author of 
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Mysterious Island. By Jules Verne. 3 vols., imperial i6mo. 
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JSJARES {Sir G. S., K.C.B) Narrative of a Voyage to the 

^ ' Polar Sea during 1875-76, in H.M.'s Ships "Alert" and "Discovery." 
By Captain SirG. S. Nares, R.N., K.C.B., F.R.S. Published by per- 
mission of the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty. With Notes on 
the Natural History, edited by H. W. Feildex, F.G.S., C.M.Z.S., 
F.R.G.S., Naturalistto the Expedition. Two Volumes, demySvo, with 
numerous Woodcut Illustrations, Photographs, &c. 4th Edition, 2/. 2J. 

ISfeiu Child's Flay {A ). Sixteen Drawings by E. V. B. Beauti- 
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New Ireland. By A. M. Sullivan, M.P. for Louth. 2 vols., 
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England and the world a faithful history of Ireland, in a series of de- 
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quarter of a century. Cheaper Edition, l vol., crown Svo, 85. 6d. 

New Testament. The Authorized English Version ; with 
various readings from the most celebrated Manuscripts. Cloth flexible, 
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" This is a book which will delight the young. . . . We cannot imagine a nicer 
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" Is certain to become a favourite with young people." — Court Journal. 



20 Sampson Loiv, Marstou, &= Co.'s 

North American Review {The). Monthly, price 2s. 6d. 

Azotes and Sketches of an Architect taken during a Journey in the 

North-West of Europe. Translated from the French of Felix Nar- 

JOUX. 214 Full-page and other IHustrations. Demy 8vo, cloth extra, i6j-. 

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illustrated." — British Quarterly Review. 

Notes on Fish and Fishing. By the Rev. J. J. Manley, M.A. 
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Novels. Crown 8vo, cloth, \os. 6d. per vol. : — 

Mary Anerley. By R. D. Blackmore, Author of " Lorna Doone," 

&c. 3 vols. [/« the pirss. 

An Old Story of 3SIy Farmine: Days. By Fritz Reuter, Author 

of " In the Year '13." 3 vols. 
All the World's a Stage. By M. A. M. Ilorpus, Author of " Five 

Chimnney Farm." 3 vols. 
Cressida. By M. B. Thomas. 3 vols. 
Elizabeth Eden. 3 vols. 
The Martyr of Glencree. A Story of the Persecutions in Scotland 

in the Reign of Charles the Second. By R. Somers. 3 vols. 
The Cat and Battledore, and other Stories, translated from 

Balzac. 3 vols. 
A "Woman of Mind. 3 vols. 
The Cossacks. By Count Tolstoy. Translated from the Russian 

by Eugene Schuyler, Author of "Turkistan." 2 vols. 
The Hour -will Come : a Tale of an Alpine Cloister. By Wilhel- 

mine Von Hillern, Author of " The Vulture Maiden." Trans- 
lated from the German by Clara Bell. 2 vols. 
A Stroke of an Afghan Knife. By R. A. Sterndale, F.R.G.S., 

Author of " Seonee." 3 vols. 
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Auld Lang- Syne. By the Author of "The Wreck of the Grosvenor." 

2 vols. 
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On the Wolds. By the Rev. E. Gilliat, Author of "Asylum 

Christi." 2 vols. 
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Old Charlton. By Baden Priichard. 3 vols. 

"Mr. Baden Pritchard has produced a well-written and interesting story." — 
Scotsman. 

Nursery Playmates {Prince of ). 217 Coloured pictures for 
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r\CEAN to Ocean: Sandford Flemings Expedition through 
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List of Publications. 2 1 



Old-Fashioned Girl. See Alcott. 

Oleographs. (Catalogues and price lists on application.) 

Ohphant {Mrs.) Innocent. A Tale of Modern Life. By Mrs. 

Oliphant, Author of "The Chronicles of Carlingford," &c., &c. 

With Eight Full-page Illustrations, small post 8vo, cloth extra, 6j. 

On Horseback through Asia Minor. By Capt. Fred Burnaby, 
Royal Horse Guards, Author of " A Ride to Khiva." 2 vols., 
8vo, with three Maps and Portrait of Author, 6th Edition, 38^. This 
work describes a ride of over 2000 miles throui^'h the heart of Asia 
Minor, and gives an account of five months with Turks, Circassians, 
Christians, and Devil-worshippers. Cheaper Edition, crown Svo, \Os.bd. 

On Restoration. See Le-Duc. 

On Trek in the Transvaal ; or, Over Berg and Veldt in South 
Africa. By H. A. Roche. Crown Svo, cloth, 10s. 6d. 4th Edition. 

Orlebar {Eleanor E.) See " Sancta Christina," " Food for the 
People." 

Our Little Ones in Heaven. Edited by the Rev. H. Robbins. 
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New Edition — the 3rd, with Illustrations, ^s. 

Our Village. By Mary Russell Mitford. Illustrated with 
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neighbourhood of " Our Village. " Crown 4to, cloth extra, gilt edges, 



2 1 J. 



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Out of School at Eton. Being a collection of Poetry and Prose 
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pALNTERS of All Schools. By Louis Viardot, and other 

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crown parts, with fifty additional portraits, cloth, gilt edges, 3IJ. 6d. 
"A handsome volume, full of information and sound criticism."— 7"/;«i-^. 

"Almost an encyclopedia of painting It may be recommended as a handy 

and elegant guide to beginners in the study of the history oi ^n."—SaiuriUy Review. 

Palliser {Mrs.) A Histo/y of Lace, from the Earliest Period. 

A New and Revised Edition, with additional cuts and text, upwards 
of 100 Illustrations and coloured Designs. I vol. Svo, i/. is. 

" One of the most readable books of the season ; permanently valuable, always in- 
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Historic Devices, Badges, and War Cries. Svo, i/. \s. 



22 Sampson Lo7V, Afarston, &= Co.^s 

Palliser {Afrs.) The China Collector's Pocket Companion. With 
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" We scarcely need add that a more trustworthy and convenient handbook Joes 
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care and skill she has bestowed upon it." — Academy. 

Fctites Ler^ons de Conversation et de Graminaire : Oral and 

Conversational Method ; being Little Lessons introducing the most 
Useful To]3ics of Daily Conversation, upon an entirely new principle, 
&c. By F. JULIEN, French Master at King Edward the Sixth's 
Grammar School, Birmingham. Author of "The Student's French 
Examiner," which see. 

Phillips (Z.) Dictionary of Biographical Reference. 8vo, 

i/. \\s. 6ii. 
Phipson [Dr. T. L.) Familiar Letters on some Mysteries of 

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Picture Gallery of British Ai-t {The). 38 Permanent Photo- 
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Pike {N.) Sub-Tropical Panibles in the Land of the Aphanapteryx. 
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Placita Anglo-Normannica. The Procedure and Constitution of 
the Anglo-Norman Courts (William I.— Richard I.), as shown by 
Contemporaneous Records ; all the Reports of the Litigation of the 
period, as recorded in the Chronicles and Histories of the time, being 
gleaned and literally transcribed. With Explanatory Notes, &c. By 
M. M. BiGELOW. Demy 8vo, cloth, 21s. 

Plutarch's Lives. An Entirely New and Library Edition. 

Edited by A. H. Clough, Esq. 5 vols., 8vo, 2/. loj-. ; half-morocco, 

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half-bound, 21s. 
Alorals. Uniform with Clough's Edition of " Lives of 

Plutarch." Edited by Professor Goodwin. 5 vols., Svo, 3/. y. 
Poe {E. A.) The Works of 4 vols., 2/. 2s. 

poems of the Lnner Life. A New Edition, Revised, with many 
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Poganuc People: their Loves and Lives. By Mrs. Beecher 
Stowe. Crown 8vo, cloth, xos. 6d. 

Polar Expeditions. See Koldewey, Markham, MacGahan 
and Nares. 



List of Publications. 23 



Potteiy : /low it is Made, its Shape a?id Decoration. Practical 

Instructions for Painting on Porcelain and all kinds of Pottery with 
vitrifiable and common Oil Colours. With a full Bibhography of 
Standard Works upon the Ceramic Art. By G. Ward Nichols. 
42 Illustrations, crown Svo, red edges, 6s. 

Practical (A) Handbook to the Principal Schools of England. 
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Scholarships, &c., &c. New Edition corrected to 1S79, crown Svo, 
cloth extra, -^s. 6d. 

"This is an exceedingly useful work, and one that Yv-as much wanted.' — 
JExamhter. 

Practical Treatise on Electricity and Magnetism. By J. E. H. 

Gordon, B.A. One volume, demy Svo, very numerous'lllustralions. 
Prejevalsky {N. M. ) From Kiilj'a, across the Tian Shan to Lob- 

nor. Translated by E. Delmar Morgan, F.R.G.S. With Notes 

and Introduction by Sir Douglas Forsyth, K.C.S.I. i vol., 

demy Svo, with a Map. 

Prince Ritto ; or, The Four-leaved Shamrock. By Fanny W. 
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Prisoner of War in Pussia. See Coope. 

Publishe7's' Circular {The), and General Record of British and 
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r^UARTER Sessions, from Queen Elizabeth to Queen Anne : 
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Original Records (chiefly of the County of Devon). By A. H. A. 

Hamilton. Crown Svo, cloth, lOi-. 6d. 

JD ALSTON (JV. R. S.) Early Russian History. Four 
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Svo, cloth extra, '^s. 
Rambaud {Alfred). History of Russia, from its Origin to the 

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vols, demy Svo, cloth extra, 3SJ. 

Mr. W. R. S. Ralston, in the Academy, says, "We gladly recognize in the 

present volume a trustworthy history of Russia." 

"We will venture to prophecy that it will become ifie work on the subject for 

readers in our part of Europe. . . . Mrs, Lang has done her work remarkably 

wi^W,"— Atlienatum. 

Readings in Melbourne ; with an Essay on the Resources and 

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the Australian group." — T/ie Colonies and India. 



24 Sampson Loiv, Alarston, &> Co.'s 

Recollections of Samuel Breck, the American Pepys. With 
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Recollections of Writers. By Charles and Mary Cowden 
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Crown Svo, cloth, \os. 6d. 

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With Twelve Portra ts. Crown Svo, cloth extra, loj-. 617'. 

" The interest attaching at the present moment to all Britannia's 'little wars' 
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— Graphic. 

Robinson [Fhil.). See " In my Indian Garden." 

Rochefoucanld' s Reflections. Bayard Series, 2s. 6d. 

Rogers (S.) Pleasures of Alemory. See " Choice Editions of 
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Rohlfs {D>: G.) Adventures in Morocco, and Journeys through the 
Oases of Draa and Tafilet. By Dr. G. RoHLFS. Demy Svo, Map, 
and Portrait of the Author, \2s. 

Rose in Bloom. See Alcott. 

Rose Library [The). Popular Literature of all countries. Each 
volume, is. ; cloth, 2s. bd. Many of the Volumes are Illustrated — 

1. Sea-Gull Rock. By Jules Sandeau. Illustrated. 

2. Little "Women. By Louisa M. Alcott. 

3. Little 'Women Wedded. Forming a Sequel to "Little Women." 

4. The House on "Wheels. By Madame de Stolz. Illustrated. 

5. Little Men. By Louisa M. Alcott. Dble. vol., 2j-. ; cloth, 3^. 6(/. 

6. The Old-Fashioned Girl. By Louisa M. Alcott. Double 

vol., 2s. ; cloth, T^s. 6d. 

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8. Timothy Titcomb's Letters to Young People, Single and 

Married. 

9. "Cndine, and the Two Captains. By Baron De La Motte 

FouQufi. A New Translation by F. E. Bunnett. Illustrated. 

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Holm. 

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Alcott. 

13. Beginning: Again. Being a Continuation of " Work." By 

Louisa M. Alcott. 

14. Picciola; or, the Pi-ison Flower. By X. B. Saintine. 

Numerous Graphic Illustrations. 



List of Publications. 25 



The Rose Library, continued: — 

15. Robert's Holidays. Illustrated. 

16. The Two Children of St. Domingo. Numerous Illustrations. 

17. Aunt Jo's Scrap Bag. 

18. Stowe (Mrs. H. B.) The Pearl of Orr's Island. 
19. The Minister's "Wooini?. 

20. Betty's Bright Idea. 

21. The Ghost in the Mill. 



-• Captain Kidd's Money. 
We and our Neighbours. Double vol., 2s. 



24. ■ My Wife and I. Double vol., 2s. ; cloth, gilt, 3^, ^d. 

25. Hans Brinker ; or, the Silver Skates. 

26. Lowell's My Study Window. 

27. Holmes (O. W.) The Guardian Angel. 

28. Warner (C. D.) My Summer in a Garden. 

29. Hitherto. By the Author of " The Gayworthys." 2 vols., u. each. 

30. Helen's Babies. By their Latest Victim. 

31. The Barton Experiment. By the Author of " Helen's Babies. " 

32. Dred. By Mrs. Beecher Stowe. Double vol., zs. Cloth, 

gilt, 3J-. 6d. 

33. Warner (C. D.) In the Wilderness. 

34. Six to One. A Seaside Story. 

Russell {W. IT., LL.D.) The Tour of the Fritice of Wales in 

India, and his Visits to the Courts of Greece, Egypt, Spain, and 
Portugal. By W. H. Russell, LL.D., who accompanied the 
Prince throughout his journey ; fully Illustrated by Sydney P. Hall, 
M.A., the Prince's Private Artist, with his Royal Highness's special 
]3ermission to use the Sketches made during the Tour. Super- royal 
Svo, cloth extra, gilt edges, 52J. 6d.; Large Paper Edition, 84^. 

(TAJVCTA Christina: a Story of the First Century. By 
^ Eleanor E. Orlebar. With a Preface by the Bishop of Winchester. 
Small post 8vo, cloth extra, 5^-. 

Schweinfurth {Dr. G.) Heart of Africa. Which see. 

Artes Africaner. Illustrations and Description of Pro- 



ductions of the Natural Arts of Central African Tribes. With 26 
Lithographed Plates, imperial 4to, boards, 2Ss. 

Scientific Meinoirs : being Experimental Contributions to a 
Knowledge of Radiant Energy. By John William Draper, M.D., 
LL.D., Author of "A Treatise on Human Physiology," &c. With 
Steel Portrait of the Author. Demy Svo, cloth, 473 pages, 14J. 

Scott (Sir G. Gilbert.) See " Autobiography." 

Sea-Gull Rock. By Jules Sandeau, of the French Academy. 
Royal i6mo, with 79 Illustrations, cloth extra, gilt edges, "Js. 6d. 
Cheaper Edition, cloth gilt, 2s. bd. See also Rose Library. 



26 Sampson Low, Marston, &> CoJs 

Seonee : Sporting in the Satpura Range of Central India, and in 
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Shakespeare {The Boudoir^. Edited by Henry Cundell. 

Carefully bracketted for reading aloud ; freed from all objectionable 
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cloth extra, gilt edges. Contents : — Vol I., Cymbeline — Merchant of 
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Shakespeare Key [The). Forming a Companion to "The 
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Shooting: its Appliances, Practice, and Purpose. By James 
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"The book is admirable in every way We wish it every success." — Globe. 

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shooting." — Daily News. 

Silent Hour {The). See " Gentle Life Series." 

Silver Pitchers. See Alcott. 

Simon {Joules). See " Government of M. Thiers." 

Six to One. A Seaside Story. i6mo, boards, is. 

Sketches from an Artisfs Portfolio. By Sydney P, Hall. 
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Europe. Folio, cloth extra, 3/. 3^. 
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Sleepy Sketches ; or, Hoiv we Live, a?id Hoiv we Do Not Live. 
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Smith {G.) Assyrian Explorations and Discoveries. By the late 
George Smith. Illustrated by Photographs and Woodcuts. Demy 
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The Chaldean Account of Genesis. Containing the 

Description of the Creation, the Fall of Man, the Deluge, the Tower 
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By the late G. Smith, of the Department of Oriental Antiquities, 
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Snow-Shoes and Canoes ; or, the Adventures of a Fur-Hunter 
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List of Publications. 27 



South Australia : its Histofj, Resou7-ces, and Productions. 
Edited by \V. Harcus, J. P., with 66 full-page Woodcut Illustrations 
from Photographs taken in the Colony, and 2 Maps. Demy 8vo, 2IJ. 

Spain. Illustrated by Gustave Dore. Text by the Baron 
Cn. D'AviLLiF.R. Containing over 240 Wood Engravings by Dore, 
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in cloth, extra gilt edges, 3/. 3J. 

Stanley {H. M.) Hoio I Found Livingstone. Crown 8vo, cloth 
extra, 'js. dd. ; large Paper Edition, loj-. 6d. 

'■'■My Kalulu" Prince, King, and Slave. A Storj'- 

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Cooniassie and Magdala. A Story of Two British 



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Through the Dark Continent, which see. 



St. Nicholas for 1879. \s. monthly. 

Story without an End. From the German of Carove, by the late 
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square 4to, with Illustrations by Harvey. 2s. 6d. 

Stozve {Mrs. Beecher) Drcd. Cheap Edition, boards, 2s. Cloth, 
gilt edges, 3^. 6d. 

Footsteps of the Master. With Illustrations and red 

borders. Small post 8vo, cloth e.xtra, 6^-. 

■ Geography, with 60 Illustrations. Square cloth, ^s. 6d. 

Little Foxes. Cheap Edition, 15-.; Library Edition, 



4^. 6d. 

Betty s Bright Ldea. is. 

My Wife and L ; or, LLarry Henderson's LListory. 

Small post 8vo, cloth extra, 6^^.* 

Minister's Wooing, 5^-.; Copyright Series, is. 6d.;c\., 2s.^ 

Old Toivn Folk. 6s. : Cheap Edition, 2s. 6d. 

01^ Toitm Fireside Stories. Cloth extra, 3^-. dd. 

• Our Folks at Poganuc. \os. 6d. 

We and our Neighbours, i vol., small post Svo, 6s. 



Sequel to "My Wife and I."* 
Pink and White Tyrajiny. Small post Svo, z^. 6d. ; 

Cheap Edition, is. 6d. and 2s. 

Queer Little People, is. ; cloth, 2s. 

Chimney Corner, is. ; cloth, is. 6d. 

The Pearl of Orr's Lslajid. Crown Svo, Si'.* 

* See also Rose Library. 



2S Sampson Low, Afafston, d^ Co.'s 

Stowe (Afrs. Beccher) Little Pussey Willow. Fcap., 2^'. 

Woman in Sacred Liistory. Illustrated with 15 Chromo- 
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Street Life in London. By J. Thomson, F.R.G.S., and Adolphe 
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Stiideni's French Examiner. By F. Julien, Author of " Petites 
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Studies from Nature. 24 Photographs, with Descriptive Letter- 
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Sub-Tropical Rambles. See Pike (N). 
Sullivan {A. M., M.P.). See " New Ireland." 

Sulphuric Acid (A Practical Treatise on the Manufacture of). 
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77 Construction Plates, drawn to scale measurements, and other 
Illustrations. 

Summer Holiday in Scandinavia (A). By E. L. L. Arnold. 

Crown Svo, cloth extra, lOs. 6it. 

Sumner {Hon. Charles). See Life and Letters. 

Surgeon^s LLandbook on the Treatment of Wounded in JVar. By 
Dr. Friedrich Esmarch, Professor of Surgery in the University of 
Kiel, and Surgeon-General to the Prussian Army. Translated by 
H. H. Glutton, B.A. Cantab, F.R.C.S. Numerous Coloured 
Plates and Illustrations, Svo, strongly bound in flexible leather, it. Ss. 

'TAUCHNLTZS English Editions of German Authors. 
•*■ Each volume, cloth flexible, 2s. ; or sewed, \s. 6d. (Catalogues post 
free on application.) 

• • {B.) German and English Dictionary. Cloth, is. 6d.; 

roan, 2s, 

French and English. Paper, is. 6d. ; cloth, 2s ; roan, 

2s. 6d. 
Italian and English. Paper, 15-. 6d. ; cloth, 2s. ; 

roan, 2s. 6d. 

Spanish and English. Paper, is. 6d. ; cloth, 2s. ; roan, 



2S. 6d. 

New Testament. Cloth, 2s. ; gilt, 2s. 6d. 



The Telephone. An Account of the Phenomena of Electricity, 

Magnetism, and Sound. By Prof. A. E. Dolbear, Author of "The 
Art of Projecting," &c. Second Edition, with an Appendix De- 
scriptive of Prof. Bell's Present Instrument. 130 pp., with 19 Illus- 
trations, IS. 



List of Publications. 29 



Tenny soil's May Queen. Choicely Illustrated from designs by 
the Hon. Mrs. BoYLE. Crown Svo {See Choice Series), 2s. 6(1. 

Textbook {A) of Harmony. For the Use of Schools and 
Students. By the late Charles Edward Horsley. Revised for 
the Press by Westley Richards and W. H. Calcott. Small jwst 
Svo, cloth extra, 31. 6(1. 

Thebes, and its Five Greater Temples. See Abney. 

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